Blessed, Cursed, Beautiful
by Rhianna-Aurora
Summary: When Rikku joined Yuna's pilgrimage, the last thing she expected was to fall in love ... especially not with the most devout of all Yevonites. But Fate held that in store for her, along with so much more ... RikkuWakka, SURPRISES later on . ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue: Rikku Speaks

**Prologue **

Let's get one thing out of the way, right off the bat. I'm Rikku, and I am Al Bhed. I am _proud_ to be Al Bhed. I know that the Yevonites of the past thought that we were all sand-blasted heathens, but you know something? I never saw too many Yevonites coming out to Bikanel to try and get to know us. I guess it was easier to make up stories about people that you _didn't_ know.

To be perfectly honest with you, the Al Bhed had _waaaaay _more reason to hate the Yevonites than vice-versa. I mean, Yevon destroyed not one, but _two _of our Homes. That's a lot of rebuilding for us. I mean, there have never been a huge number of Al Bhed on Spira. Probably because Yevon kept killing us off.

But I digress. You see, I'm not _actually _here to criticize Yevon. Because if it _weren't_ for Yevon ... Well, you'll see.

Looking back on Yunie's journey now, it all seems so very simple ... _and _so incredibly complicated. How did we end up at this place? This is _sooo _not where I thought we would be.

I mean, how in Spira had _any _of this even happened? My instructions from Pops had been clear as crystal from the Macalania Forest.

_Get Yunie and take her to the Summoner's Sanctum_

_Nowhere_, not _once_, did Pops _ever_ tell me to _join_ Yunie's pilgrimage and become her sixth guardian. And he sure as sand didn't tell me to go falling for a damned pious, righteous, annoying as hell Yevonite.

But, I'm Rikku, and I've never been very good at following directions ...

**A/N: Aaaah!!!! I'm freaked out by this plotbunny, so I thought I'd just get it rolling and take whatever I get from it. I've still got to wrap up "The Guardian", but this one is so completely OPPOSITE of anything I have ever done that I figured I might draw a whole new audience in with it ... or just alienate everyone. lol I hope that doesn't happen ... I just want everyone to know that my heart forever and for always belongs to Aurikku, that's the whole reason I am here ... But I wanted to give this a shot ... So I hope you like it ... I hope I can make you guys give a damn and understand why I felt the need to tell THIS story ... Please R&R ... No flames though. If you don't like Wakka/Rikku - centric stuff, then this is not the place for you ... If you think of Rhianna-Aurora as strictly an Aurikku writer, well, I'm hoping to branch out. PLEASE let me know what you guys think ... Thanks so much, I love you all! Oh, and I apologize for any typos or spelling errors -- I have uploaded this chappie about five thousand times since last night, and it seems to keep f'ing it up ... Hopefully it's okay, now though.**


	2. Chapter 1: That Day

**Chapter One  
****That Day**

**Part One**

If someone had asked her to describe how she felt in that moment when Tidus came up to her on the banks of the Moonflow, she wouldn't have even known where to begin.

First, there was relief. Relief that this guy was safe and sound and not floating around dead in the sea somewhere. Also, relief that she was finally free of that damned constricting wetsuit. She looked at the discarded article of clothing with disdain_. I'll just be leaving you here on the ground for the scavengers, thank you very much. _

Second was confusion. Why the hell _was_ he here, of all places? She figured he would've stayed on in Luca or something like that.

Third, was severe and utter annoyance. _Thanks for the minor concussion and internal bleeding, buddy._

"Rikku?" Tidus said incredulously. "You're Rikku! Wow! How you been?"

Shaking her head and then wincing from the pain the motion caused, she stuck an accusing finger in Tidus' face. "Terrible!" she lamented.

"Yeah, you don't look so good," Tidus said sympathetically. "What – happened?"

Rikku let out an exasperated grunt. "You beat me up, remember?"

Tidus' blue eyes widened in recognition. "That machina? That was you?"

"Ouch," Rikku moaned to herself, checking her arms and legs for any bruises or lacerations. "That really hurt. You big meanie." She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him, because, really, _that_ would have been totally immature.

Rikku looked over Tidus' shoulder and saw a group of people walking toward them. She recognized the Summoner immediately. _Yuna!_ Her eyes stayed focused on the girl, amazed at how beautiful she had become over the past few year.

"Friend of yours?" a thickly accented voice behind Tidus asked when he spotted the girl. Rikku turned to see a tall, extremely well built man with flame red hair. There was something about his face that was familiar to her.

_Weird_, she thought to herself, and shook her mind clear. It was probably nothing. After all, she had thought _Tidus_ looked familiar too, when she first met him. Like this guy that she had known a year ago ... this guy who had ... Her body involuntarily convulsed at the memory:

_"Vilg! Cred! Chappu! Chappu!" she screamed, making her way through the mass of bodies lining the Djose shore. _

"_Rikku, hu!" her brother cried out, trying to grab her arm and hold her back. Rikku shrugged him off and continued running toward Chappu._

_Tears filled her eyes when she reached him, barely holding on. She dropped to her knees beside him. "Chappu, yna oui ugyo?"_

_He just looked at her. His eyes were impossibly blue. Never before had she seen eyes so blue. The only other person since then had been Tidus ... _

_Rikku was too young to see this ... and yet here it was. She was just barely fourteen, and she held his head in her lap while he died._

_"Chappu ... E's cunno ... E's cunno ..." she whispered over and over again._

_With his last bit of strength, Chappu reached up and touched Rikku's face softly. He managed a small smile. "Shh," he told her, his voice ragged. "Don't cry for me, little one."_

_Rikku bit her lip and tried like mad to do as he said. But it wasn't any use. Chappu had been the first Yevonite she had ever known who had treated her like a real person, even after knowing that she was Al Bhed. He had sat with her on several evenings, and they would talk about their families. She had loved hearing about his life back on Besaid with his big brother, and his beautiful girlfriend, and Yuna._

_"My brudda's da best guy in Spira," he used to tell her. "I would never tell him dat, though!" he would laugh._

_Now he wouldn't get a chance to. _

"_Ur, Chappu ..." she whispered. "Kuutpoa."_

_She looked down at him, and her heart broke as she watched his eyes glaze over. He seemed to be staring somewhere far off into the distance. "Lu, I'm sorry," he whispered. And then he was gone._

She sighed and turned her attention to externally. It was _never_ a good idea for Rikku to spend a lot of time internalizing things. Instead, she treated Tidus' friend to her famous million-megawatt grin.

"I'm Rikku, nice to meet ya!" she said brightly. Wakka gave her a funny look, like he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Rikku took that as a good sign.

"Yuna, Lulu, I told you about her, remember?" The two women nodded at Tidus. "She's an Al Bhe – bhe ..." He trailed off, remembering that _certain members_ of their group weren't exactly fond of the desert race.

Rikku looked at Tidus, puzzled, and she followed his nervous gaze to the red-haired man. _Ohhh,_ she thought. _So, he's one of_ them. _Oh, well. I've hidden my race several hundred times before. What's one more? Too bad, though. Something tells me lying to him isn't going to be fun._ She gave him a quick once-over before turning away. Sighing, she shrugged and turned her attention back to the Summoner.

"Yunie!" she said. Yuna smiled in her direction, with a look of faint recognition. Rikku rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's me. Rikku. Cid's daughter!"

Yuna's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, my! Rikku!" She turned to the men in the group. "We need to talk," she said in her gentle voice.

"Okay," the Yevonite said jovially, and made a move to walk toward them.

Rikku jumped before him, all bouncy energy and blonde hair. "Girls only! Boys, wait over there!" she said with a wave of her dainty hand.

Lulu smiled apologetically at Wakka. "Sorry," she said. "Just give us a minute."

The girls talked for what seemed like forever to Sir Auron. He was growing impatient ... He knew what was coming; he just wished they would hurry it along.

Finally, Yuna turned to him and smiled her sweet and imploring smile. "Sir Auron ... I would like for Rikku to be my guardian."

Five terrifying minutes later (Rikku hated being stared down by stone-cold men who wielded blades bigger than she was), it was official.

"Well I'm all for it," Wakka said optimistically. "The more, the merrier!"

Rikku just smiled in his Yevonite direction. "Well, then I'll just have to be the merriest!"

No one in the Summoner party thought about the explosion that could be created by combining two very volatile subjects – a pure-blood Al Bhed princess, and a devout Yevonite.

**Part Two**

Six guardians. _Six_. That was, in his estimation, the _largest_ Summoner party ever. And, looking at her, he wondered how much of an asset she would actually be. She was a little slip of a thing, really. About eye level with his bicep, which was bigger than her thigh, he might add.

Someone like her could get crushed very easily by any number of fiends. Sighing, he spun his ever-handy blitzball on one finger. If Sir Auron didn't have a problem with it, then he supposed he should just shut up about it.

Something about that girl was unnerving to him though. Her eyes ... they seemed to know a little bit too much. He didn't trust people who knew too much ahead of time. He preferred to learn as he went. That annoyed Lu. It annoyed her a _lot_. Grinning, he turned to the black mage.

"Hey, Lu," he said. "What do ya think, eh?"

Lulu arched an eyebrow. "About what?" she asked coolly. Some people might find Lulu a bit frigid, but Wakka knew better than anyone else what she had been through. He was used to it, and really, it didn't bother him. It was just _Lu_. And Chappu had loved her ... and so he did too.

But always, in the back of his mind, he wondered if there wasn't someone out there who was actually meant to belong to him and _only _him, and not Chappu. He didn't like thinking these thoughts, but sometimes, he just couldn't help it.

Chappu had always been perfect, and he had always had everything. He'd been great at everything he'd done. Women loved him, men envied him ... but Chappu had no faith. And Wakka knew in his heart of hearts, that that had been his downfall.

So after that day, Wakka had made a solemn vow to himself, and to his brother, and to Lu, and Yuna too, to be the most devout of all Yevonites. And to _never_ forgive the damned Al Bhed and their cursed machina.

He was completely unaware that the last face his brother had ever seen had been that of a young Al Bhed girl, one who had cried for him and held him in her young arms, and who had worn his blood on her clothing as she stumbled back to her own family, hours later.

"Wakka!" Lulu's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Oh, sorry, Lu," Wakka said sheepishly.

"What were you asking me?" she pried, more gently this time.

"Oh! I was just wondering what you thought of da little bit over there," Wakka said, nodding in the young blonde's direction.

Lulu managed a small half-smile. "She's a happy person," she stated. "I think this journey needs that."

"Hey! I'm a happy person too, ya know!"

Lulu sighed and rolled her eyes. "She's _different_, Wakka," she said, shaking her head. "I can't explain it to you." She went to walk beside Yuna and the two of them were soon in a deep conversation.

Wakka glared after she had left him alone. Tidus was walking up ahead, talking animatedly with Rikku, who giggled at something he said and looked back at Yuna with a knowing smile. Sir Auron and Kimahri were bringing up the rear.

They reached Guadosalam just before sunset. "Wow, this place is ... amazing," Rikku exclaimed, admiring the way the ground of the city seemed to glow from within. "I've never been here before," she said honestly.

"I thought you'd been all over Spira," Tidus asked her.

Rikku blushed. "Yeah, well, this is a _Guado_ city ..." she said slowly.

Lulu nodded knowingly. "Of course. You would have had no reason to come here unless you were on a pilgrimage," she said quickly. She shot Tidus a pointed look.

Wakka eyed Lu suspiciously. She had jumped in pretty quick there, hadn't she? Then another thought came to his mind. "Say, Rikku," he said.

She turned to him, face lighting up because he was _actually acknowledging her existence_ for the first time since the Moonflow. "Yeah?"

"Why _have _you done so much running around Spira, anyway?" he asked her.

She looked down and shrugged, and traced invisible shapes in the ground with the toe of her boot. "My family likes to travel," she muttered lamely.

"I think maybe ... that's enough questions for Rikku," Yuna said quietly, in her unassuming way.

Wakka shrugged. "Just tryin' to get to know her a little better, ya?" he grumbled.

Rikku flashed him a quick grin. "There's really not much to tell," she told him. "My Pops is a restless sort. Doesn't like staying in one place for too long. Not since Mom died." Her eyes grew sad, and Wakka immediately felt like an ass.

"Oh, hey, I'm sorry, ya?" he said quickly, scratching the back of his neck.

Lulu laughed to herself. He only did _that_ when he was nervous. Did Rikku make him nervous?

"It's okay," Rikku replied quietly, fiddling with one of her braids and not quite meeting Wakka's gaze.

Lulu frowned. Rikku seemed a bit nervous, herself. She made a mental note to keep an eye on the situation.

"We'll stay here tonight," Sir Auron decreed as they entered the city.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, than Tromell Guado, Maester Seymour's loyal assistant was before them. "Lady Yuna, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said in his nasal tone. "If you'll please come with me ..." He took Yuna's hands and began to lead her away from the group.

Wakka immediately jumped between them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka cried, blitzball at the ready. He kept Yuna back by placing one arm out in front of her.

"Oh, I apologize," Tromell said quickly. "Maester Seymour wishes to speak with Lady Yuna. You, of course, are all welcome to the manor."

Wakka lowered his arm and looked back at the rest of the group. He noted that Rikku, for one, did not look thrilled at the prospect of dining with the maester. But then again, neither did Tidus.

Yuna forced a smile. "Of course we'll come with you!" she said brightly. She turned and nodded at her guardians, leaving little room for argument.

Rikku and Tidus brought up the rear of the group. "I don't like Maester Seymour," Tidus told Rikku in a conspiratorial whisper.

"I don't like _any_ maesters, period," Rikku countered sourly. Tidus laughed at her. "It's not funny," she remarked. "Yevon is ... well, it's bad news, that's all I'm gonna say."

**Part Three**

"He asked me to marry him!" Yuna exclaimed, face bright red.

They had just met with Maester Seymour Guado in the dining hall of his manor.

Tidus was the first to comment. "Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

_Wow. He's pissed_, Rikku noted. She looked around at the other guardians. She noticed that Sir Auron looked extremely annoyed and anxious to move on. Her eyes swept past him, to Lulu, who looked shocked. It was the most emotion Rikku had seen the older girl show thus far.

Her eyes moved past Kimahri, whose features were unreadable, and landed on Wakka. He looked like he didn't know _what _to think. Sighing, she skipped over to where he stood. "Whatcha thinkin'?" she asked him in a low voice.

He looked at her, surprised that she had approached him. "I dunno," he muttered, feeling his face heating up, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. "It seems a little strange."

Rikku nodded. "Well, maybe if she gets married she can just quit her pilgrimage!" she said brightly.

Wakka's head shot up and he glared at the girl standing before him. "What da hell kinda thing is that to say, huh?" he asked.

Rikku's brow furrowed. She didn't understand why he was getting so pissed. "Well, I mean ... you _know_ what happens to Summoners ..." she mumbled.

"You sound like a damn Al Bhed," Wakka spat at her. He did a complete about-face and walked away from her in a huff.

Rikku was crestfallen. She had just been trying to make conversation ... Gathering her resolve, she stuck her chin up. _Vilg oui, Wakka_, she said to herself, promising herself that _that _was the absolute last time she'd ever let _him_ in ...

**A/N: Okay, here it is ... chappie one of something I like to call the DEPARTURE. R&R PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! I know this is unconventional and untraditional, but I just HAD to do it. The plotbunnies were chewing my ears off. lol Ewww ... nevermind. Also, BIG thanks to Avelera for letting me bounce ideas off of her and forgiving me a bunch of really good ones to incorporate! She'll recognize the ones she suggested! Thanks again!XDAnyway: Al Bhed Translations, for those who may need them:**

**"Rikku, hu!" "Rikku, no!"  
"Vilg! Cred!" "Fuck! Shit!"  
"Chappu, yna oui ugyo?" "Chappu, are you okay?"  
"E's cunno." "I'm sorry."  
"Ur, Chappu ...Kuutpoa." "Oh, Chappu ... Goodbye."  
"Vilg oui, Wakka." "Fuck you, Wakka."**

**Hope that helps. Any other Al Bhed I use in the following chapters of this fic, I will place the translations down here, in my author's note. Enjoy! Until next chap Rhianna XD  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Everything Goes

**Chapter Two  
****Everything Goes**

**Part One**

She never really was very good at holding grudges. Yeah, it was all well and good to _say _she would never forgive _certain _pigheaded Yevonites ... but that was until he grinned at her the next day.

_Tysh res ..._

It was outside the Farplane, while everyone was getting ready to go in. Rikku had never been there before, and she didn't really have any _desire_ to go.

"It's not like you'll actually _see _the people," she explained to Tidus. "More like your memories of them." She turned to her cousin. "Yunie? I think I'm just gonna stay out here, 'kay?"

Yuna smiled at her kindly and nodded. Everyone else just accepted that Rikku didn't really want to go in.

Except _him_. Damned Yevonite ... why couldn't he just let her be?

He turned to her and gently elbowed her in the ribs. "What's 'a matter, eh? Scared?" He tossed her an easy grin, and she treated him to an indignant scowl, which he laughed at.

"I am _not_ scared!" she told him emphatically. "It's just that ..." She looked around for some backup and saw that Sir Auron had sat down on one of the steps, seemingly ignoring what was going on around him. "It's just that I don't want Sir Auron to have to sit out here alone!" she said, proud of her quick thinking.

Unfortunately for her, Sir Auron had _not_ been ignoring them, and he let out a sarcastic snort. "Indeed," he said in a low voice.

She glared at him. Yeah, _he_ was going on her list too. Damned men. What was _with _them, anyway?

"What are you _looking_ at?" she said, waving Wakka along with her hands. "Shoo! Go! Get out of my face!"

She _swore_ she heard him laughing at her as he entered the Farplane. "Tysh res, cdibet Yevonite syh. Fro fuh'd ra zicd mayja sa ymuha?" she muttered to herself, flopping down ungracefully beside Sir Auron.

He looked at her with amusement in his one good eye. He decided _not_ to inform her at this present moment that he happened to be fluent in Al Bhed. Rikku looked up at him and sighed again.

"What is _with _men, anyway?" she asked him, not really expecting an answer.

"How long do you think you can keep it a secret?" he asked her, catching her off-guard.

"Keep what a secret?" she asked innocently.

He chuckled to himself. She _really_ didn't know. Instead of explaining, he just gave her a pointed look.

"_Oh_," she said, a light dawning on her delicate features. "The Al Bhed thing." She shrugged. "I dunno. I guess, as long as I have to." She looked up at her companion, all seriousness. "Is it really _that_ big a deal?"

"Perhaps you should ask _him_," Sir Auron said firmly, but not unkindly.

"Yeah, right," Rikku snorted. "I wouldn't ask _him_ to throw water on me if I were on fire!"

"I see," Sir Auron said, that twinkle of amusement back in his eye.

"I see that, Sir Auron," Rikku admonished. She stood up and perched herself on a higher platform. "I really wouldn't. I don't want anything from a pious, self-righteous ..." She trailed off, not really sure if she wanted to be sharing this information with Sir Auron. After all, they weren't exactly on _friendly _terms. "Never mind," she mumbled.

"Perhaps you could learn something from him," Auron said wisely.

_Like what? Five million ways to be an ass? A big dumb blitzballer's guide to winning friends and influencing people? Gee, I think I'll pass, thanks. _She began fiddling with her braids while she eyed the older guardian warily. "I know plenty already, thank you very much," she said disdainfully.

"Of course. Forgive me," Auron said dryly. "Just ... keep an open mind, hmm?"

Rikku rolled her eyes. "_Okay_," she said sarcastically. "Whatever you say, boss."

Auron shook his head. He knew nothing _he_ said would matter. Hopefully she'd realize what an asset she and the "damned Yevonite" could be to each other, before it was too late.

**Part Two**

He wondered what Chappu would say, if he could talk to him right now. Would he ease his mind once and for all, and tell him that he hadn't been alone when he had passed from Spira?

Wakka knew that was the one thing that bothered Lulu the most. That wondering if Chappu had died cold, alone, and without a friend. Lu would never admit to that, but she didn't have to. When you knew someone as well as he knew Lu, some things went without speaking.

He walked over to where Lulu stood, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Lu? You okay?" he asked gently.

Lulu shrugged his hand off, and looked at him, a bit coldly. "Wakka, I wish you'd stop," she told him.

Wakka didn't understand. "Stop what, Lu?"

"Trying to take his place," she hissed. "I don't need to you to look after me now that he's gone! I _need _you to live your own life, and I am sure that's what he wants, too." She nodded in Chappu's direction.

"Lu, I'm really _not_ trying to take Chappu's place," Wakka said slowly. "I just – well, you're my _friend_, ya?"

Lulu's features softened. Immediately, she felt bad. Wakka had been nothing but wonderful to her all these years. Mainly, it was _herself_ she was mad at. She didn't want to deny him his _own _life, just because they had both lost somebody precious. The last thing she wanted was for Wakka to feel obligated to her. There were so many times, and so many other girls that he hadn't gone for. All because of _her_.

Lulu shook her head. "I'm sorry. You're right. Just – don't worry about me so much, okay?" She touched his arm gently and walked over to where Tidus and Yuna stood.

Wakka stood there, a blank look on his face. _Whatever dat was all about ... _Sometimes, he really just didn't understand women. Of course, that _could_ be equated to his lack of experience with them. It wasn't that there hadn't been opportunities; it was just that other things had always seemed so much more important ...

He looked back to the entrance to the Farplane and smiled a bit to himself. There was a _very _cute girl out there, a girl he thought he could have a hell of a good time picking on. Maddening or not, he decided to himself that Rikku was worth getting to know a little bit better.

Why not? He was probably gonna die soon anyway.

Whistling, he followed his companions back out.

**Part Three**

Rikku jumped up when the rest of the party began filing out of the Farplane. Unfortunately, they had a tagalong.

"Isn't that ... Lord Jyscal?" Lulu asked in disbelief.

Lord Jyscal was Maester Seymour's father, and he had died only a month prior. Seeing his ghostly image, Sir Auron jumped up. "Yuna! Send him!"

Yuna nodded at him and began the dance. Rikku, who was closest to Sir Auron, noted the anguish on his face. She ran to him, but he pushed her away. "No ..." he said in a ragged voice. "Just ... stay back. I'm fine!"

Rikku, startled by the venom in his tone, jumped back, her expression slightly pained. It figured. Every time she tried to help, she was brutally rebuffed.

Yuna finished her sending, and the party headed back to Guadosalam.

"So what does that mean?" Tidus asked when they were just outside the city.

"He must've had ties to this world," Lulu told him, barely looking in his direction. She still didn't know what to think of him ... he looked _so much_ like Chappu, it was disconcerting.

"It means he died an unclean death," Sir Auron said gravely.

That shut everyone up.

Rikku walked behind the rest of the party, lost in her own thoughts. Her feelings were still a little hurt from earlier, but what could she do? Besides, Sir Auron was really the _least _of her problems.

She shot a surreptitious glance at the tall, muscled man walking about ten feet in front of her, spinning that damned blitzball on his finger again, and whistling. _Why is he whistling?_ Rikku wondered. _That's so damned irritating! _Irritating, she concluded, and also a little endearing.

_No, Rikku, it is not endearing, it is annoying and jock-ish and brainless and ... wow he has a really nice back. No! Damn it, Rikku, he does _not_ have a nice back! He doesn't have a nice anything!_

"Yo, Rikku, how 'bout pickin' up the pace, eh?" Wakka's voice snapped Rikku back to reality, and she realized that she had pretty much come to a standstill while she was running things over in her mind. And now _he_ was walking toward her while the rest of the party continued.

_Nice abs too ... No! No! Not nice abs. Bad abs ... very bad, YEVONITE abs!_ Rikku wanted to gut herself with her claw. Her thoughts were completely out of control. "You didn't have to come back here, you know," she told him.

Wakka shrugged. "You seem a little preoccupied, ya? Anything you want to talk about?"

Rikku snorted. "With you? Not likely." She regretted the words almost immediately. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'm just – a little tired, you know?"

Wakka shrugged. He was used to irrational women. "No prob, ya? But if you do ever want to talk, well, I'm around." And then he flashed her a grin.

Rikku whimpered to herself as she watched him walk off.

This was _not_ going according to plan at all ...

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter! I'd really like to see some reviews and whatnot, but I'll keep writing anyway, just because it's what I love to do. lol Anyway, once again, here are the Al Bhed translations for this chap:**

**"Tysh res ..." "Damn him ..."  
"Tysh res, cbidet Yevonite syh. Fro fuh'd ra zicd mayja sa ymuha?" "Damn him, stupid Yevonite man. Why won't he just leave me alone?" **

Well, enjoy ... since is going to be down for a few days, I guess I won't be updating for a few days, but I'll be back with new chappies as soon as the site is functional again! Later! Rhi XD


	4. Chapter 3: Somewhere In Between

**Chapter Three  
****Somewhere In Between**

**Part One**

The Thunder Plains.

Rikku had kinda been hoping that there was a way to avoid them. There wasn't.

She stood alone at the entrance to the cursed plains, shivering and stammering. She hated being this way, especially when she was trying to prove to everyone how mature and capable she was. And normally, she was. Put her up against a Chimera or _any_ kind of drake, and she could hold her own.

But _here_? In a land where it did nothing but thunder and lightning all the live-long day? "Uh, guys?" she said quietly, cringing as a bolt of lightning struck one of the towers about a hundred feet from where they were standing.

Sir Auron looked at her. "Yes?" he said in his gruff tone.

"Uh, I think … I left something back in Guadosalam!" Rikku said quickly.

"Hmph," Sir Auron said. "Nice knowing you."

Rikku took a deep breath and gathered up all her courage. "All right, all right, I'll come."

She positioned herself between Tidus and Wakka. She figured since they were both taller, they'd take any of the damage if the lightning got too close. _I hate thunder, I hate lightning, I hate thunder, I hate lightning, _she chanted over and over in her head.

After several minutes without incident, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up and saw Wakka looking at her strangely. _Oh, what now? Can't he see that I am really _not _in the mood?_

He took her by surprise when, instead of making fun of her, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, it's okay, ya?" he told her quietly.

She looked up at him, her eyes frightened and a little confused. "Thanks," she said slowly, staring down at the hand that he had just been holding. The strange sensation that she was feeling helped to take her mind off the storm for a few minutes.

Until lightning struck toward Tidus, who managed to dodge it. However, in Rikku's bemused state, she hadn't been as alert as she should have been, and it scared the holy _hell_ out of her.

"Aaaaaah!" she screamed, hitting the ground. Quickly, she slithered across the ground and latched onto Tidus leg.

He looked down at her, a completely befuddled look on his face. "Rikku?" he asked.

"Eh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh," Rikku laughed nervously. More lightning struck nearby, and she did it again. "Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh."

"Cut it _out_, would ya?" Wakka snapped. " 'Heh heh heh heh heh' … You're givin' me the creeps, ya?"

Rikku looked up at him, her expression positively _pitiful_. "Can we rest over there?" She pointed at Rin's Travel Agency, Thunder Plains Branch, that was only a little farther up the path. "_Please_?"

Sir Auron looked down at her, trying not to laugh at her absolutely absurd demeanor. "This storm never stops," he told her firmly. "Best to cross quickly."

Rikku, realizing that she might not be taken seriously while she was still lying on the muddy ground, latched on to Tidus' leg as if her very life depended on it, jumped up and brushed herself off. "_Please_?" she begged, feeling tears threatening. "Please, I'm _scared _of thunder!" She turned to her cousin. "Yunie? Please make them stop!"

Yuna smiled at her cousin kindly and apologetically. "We really should keep going," she said quietly. Rikku took a deep breath and bit her lower lip.

The group continued on, but when they reached the Travel Agency, Rikku stopped in front of the door and refused to go any further. "I'm _scared_!" she said in a voice that was dangerously close to a whine. "Are you guys having _fun _doing this to me?" The group kept walking. Rikku stomped her foot. "Your moms would be ashamed of you!"

Finally, Sir Auron gave up. "Fine. We rest. _She's _worse than the storm," he said in a low voice to Wakka, who nodded his agreement.

But secretly, he wondered if Rikku was going to be okay.

The group sat around the lobby of the Agency for a while, and then Yuna turned to Sir Auron. "I'm sorry, Sir Auron, but since we are already here, do you think it would be okay for us to rest for the night? I'm so tired."

Auron looked at his Summoner and gave a single nod. He didn't want her to wear herself out. If Lady Yuna said she was tired, then they would all rest.

Tidus walked over to where Lulu stood. "Does Yuna seem … different to you?" he asked her.

Lulu looked at him carefully. _Hmm. He's more perceptive than I thought,_ she concluded, and then nodded. "So you noticed it, too?"

"Yeah," Tidus said. "Should we, maybe, go check on her?"

"I'll go," Lulu said. "You stay out here. Go … see if Rikku's okay." She gave him a small smile; the first time he had ever seen her do that.

_Wow. She's really pretty when she smiles, _Tidus couldn't help thinking as he walked over to where Wakka and Sir Auron were sitting. "Uh, where's Rikku?" Tidus asked.

"Under the table," Wakka said, glaring. It was getting damn irritating, since the feathers in her hair were tickling the lower part of his calf.

"What?" Tidus asked, disbelieving and bending to take a look.

Sure enough, in the far corner, Rikku sat, trembling. She looked positively wretched. "Rikku …" Tidus said slowly. He straightened back up and looked from Sir Auron, to Wakka, and back again.

Sir Auron just shook his head. "This is going to be some journey," he remarked, somewhat sarcastically.

"Oh, poor girl," Tidus said, trying to be sympathetic.

"Poor girl?" Wakka snorted. "Those Yevon-forsaken feathers she wears in her hair have been tickling my leg for the past ten minutes, ya? I've had enough."

Tidus didn't see him do anything, but less than two seconds later, Rikku had reemerged from her safe haven and was shooting the look of Death in Wakka's direction.

"Watch your _damn feet_," she told him, eyes wide and venomous.

Tidus looked at Wakka, confused. "What'd you do?"

"He _kicked_ me!" Rikku exclaimed. "In the … in the …" She looked down, her face turning bright crimson.

"You _kicked_ her?" Tidus asked, incredulously.

"Oh, c'mon Rikku, I didn't _kick_ you," Wakka said defensively. "I just tapped you with my foot, ya?"

Rikku crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Your 'tapped' me with your _damn foot_ in my _chest_!" she hissed, not looking up at him. She could feel Tidus' and Sir Auron's gazes burning into her as well. She wished the floor would just open up and swallow her.

Wakka's eyes widened, and soon his face was as red as his hair. "Oh. Uh, I'm sorry, ya?" he mumbled almost incoherently, scratching the back of his neck. "I was just, uh, trying to get you to move, because, uh, your feathers were ticklin', eh? I didn't mean to hit you … _there_."

Rikku looked puzzled for a minute, and then a light dawned on her face. "_Oh. _Feathers. Sorry," she said somewhat sheepishly, her face still scarlet. She began fiddling with said feathers, and then she glanced around the lobby. _Anything_ to focus her attention elsewhere. "Where's Yunie?"

"She, Lulu, and Kimahri already went to bed," Tidus told her.

Rikku nodded. "I guess I'll go too. Sorry about my – feathers, Wakka," she said, face reddening again. She turned to head down the hallway to her room, when a huge clash of thunder boomed overhead. Even Sir Auron jumped a little.

Rikku grabbed onto the nearest object, which happened to be Wakka's arm. He winced when she dug her nails into his flesh.

_Cred!_ she thought to herself. She let go immediately, and refused to look at him. "Sorry. I'm just gonna …"

_Boom!_

Again with the damn thunder. Rikku had come to the conclusion that the gods were _seriously_ against her. "Uh," she said, biting her lip. Sighing, she sat down at the table with the three men. She _hated_ to admit that she was weak, but these were drastic times calling for drastic measures. _Really _drastic … that thunder was really freaking her out. Gritting her teeth and swallowing the last little bit of pride she had left, she focused on the guys.

She smiled sweetly at them, batting her lashes coyly, hoping to sway them with her feminine wiles. Guys couldn't resist that sort of thing. "Okay, well, one of _you_ is coming with me," she said matter-of-factly, as though she were an old pro at getting guys to go in her room with her. She really wasn't. Not even close. But when it was just _these_ guys – Well, it was hardly like she was trying to _seduce _them. For crying out loud, she was _scared to death_ … if _that_ seduced them, well, then, _that_ was their problem, wasn't it?

She looked hopefully at Tidus; he had seemed the most sympathetic to her plight, and so she figured he'd be the nicest to her.

"Actually, I need to speak with Tidus," Sir Auron said, clearing his throat. "So, uh, Wakka, if you would?"

Rikku looked at Sir Auron, daggers in her gaze. _He hates me, doesn't he? When I said 'one of you', I really meant Tidus or Sir Auron. Not Wakka. Anyone_ but _Wakka!_ She wasn't sure _why _she had such an aversion to the idea, but something about it made her stomach flip over. "Um, actually, no it's okay, I'll just sit over there and wait …" Rikku began, nodding her head in the direction of one of the tables on the other side of the room.

"Rikku," Sir Auron said warningly. "Wakka, take her."

Wakka, who had noted Rikku's reaction when Sir Auron had made his suggestion, wasn't any happier about the situation than Rikku was, but he wasn't about to argue with Sir Auron. "C'mon, Rikku," he muttered. _Why does she seem so appalled by the idea of _me _takin' her, huh? _He didn't want to admit even to himself that his feelings were a little hurt.

Rikku shook her head. She knew Sir Auron was glaring at her, but she didn't care. If he killed her with his katana, then all her suffering would be over.

She wondered what it would _feel_ like to die by katana …

She didn't have time to ponder the situation, because before she knew it, she had been lifted off her chair and was carelessly thrown over Wakka's capable shoulders. "Hey!" she cried out. "Put me down, you big meanie!" She beat against his back with her fists and tried kicking him in the gut with her feet, but to no avail. He was strong and he had a firm hold of her.

Auron chuckled as he watched them leave the room. Tidus turned to him, his brow furrowed. "So what did you need to talk to me about?" he asked the older guardian.

Auron looked at him and just shook his head. "Nothing." He was focused on the twosome that had just left the lobby.

"Huh?" Tidus said, even more confused. He followed Auron's gaze down the hallway, and suddenly he understood. "Ohhh," he said with a grin. "I get it."

**Part Two**

"Put me down put me down put me down _put me down!_" she shouted over and over again. She didn't care that people were sleeping. Maybe someone who worked at the Agency would come and rescue her. Maybe Yunie would wake up and demand that Wakka be nice to poor Rikku. Maybe Lulu would come and give Wakka that Look that always made him stop dead in his tracks and drop whatever he was doing.

_Although, I don't really want him to _drop_ me,_ Rikku thought. Wakka was tall; it would be a long, hard fall from his shoulders to the unforgiving wooden floor.

All her shouting was in vain, however, for nobody woke up. _Or maybe they _did_ wake up, but they just don't really care that a poor innocent little Al Bhed girl is being kidnapped at this very moment! _Rikku thought dejectedly. The fact that she wasn't _actually _being kidnapped was of very little import to her. She always _had_ leaned a bit toward the dramatic.

Wakka opened the door to one of the empty rooms and carelessly tossed her down on the bed. "Ouch," she muttered.

"There, you're down," he told her, a bit harshly. She obviously didn't want him around, and that was just _fine _with him, ya? He didn't particularly want to be around _her_ either. _She's too – blonde, ya? And perky, gah, I hate dat! And she's – too tan! And she smiles way too damn much! _But when he looked at her, he really couldn't find fault with what he saw. In fact, every time he looked at her, he found something else to admire. Her hair, her eyes, her golden skin, her long legs … and, yes, even that smile he had just cursed in his head. _Especially_ that smile ..._Dammit …_

Rikku frowned. She wasn't used to Wakka being anything but friendly. When he turned to leave, she cried out. "Wait! You're – you're _leaving_?"

"You expected me to stay?" Wakka asked crossly.

Rikku looked down and played with the loose threads on the blanket. "Well, I didn't expect you to just _throw_ me down and then run off," she said in a hurt voice. "Can't you see I'm scared?" She was on the verge of tears, but she didn't want _him_ to see that.

Wakka immediately felt bad. He crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed. She immediately linked her arm with his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she breathed, grateful.

The room was dark, with only the occasional flashes of lightning as illumination. Rikku didn't see the bewildered look that flickered across Wakka's face.

_What is going on here?_ he wondered to himself. Rikku … she was just _Rikku_, ya? So why the hell was she creeping into the little corners of his brain and making herself perfectly comfortable? He shook his head. No, he wasn't going to let himself think like that. She was just another guardian on the journey, just another friend.

So why did he feel nervous every time he looked at her? Why was he so afraid of saying something stupid when _she _was around? And why, for the love of Yevon, had his heart sped up as soon as she had rested her head on his shoulder?

Rikku was oblivious to all of this. Sure, she _liked_ Wakka. He was hard _not_ to like, no matter how hard you tried – and she had tried _hard_. But, she liked him the same way she liked Tidus – as a friend, someone to have fun with, but that was _all_.

Wasn't it?

_It has to be, Rikku, _she told herself. _Your father is the leader of the Al Bhed. If Wakka knew who you were … _She wouldn't let herself think about that. She wondered if he'd still want to be her friend if he knew the truth? Should she tell him now, and get it over with?

At that moment, lightning flashed and lit up the room. Rikku looked up and met Wakka's eyes with her own. _Wow. They're brown_, she thought to herself, smiling a little.

Thunder crashed, and she pressed herself even closer against his side. _I'll tell him _after_ we're out of the Thunder Plains, _she told herself. Then she let herself drift off to sleep, comforted by the fact that Wakka wouldn't let anything happen to her.

**Part Three**

_Dammit_, he thought to himself as she fell asleep, all snuggled up against him. He moved carefully, and gently lay her head down on one of the pillows. Smiling to himself as she stirred ever so slightly in her sleep, he removed her boots and pulled the blanket up over her.

He brushed a stray piece of golden hair off of her forehead and couldn't help but marvel at how soft her skin was. _Stop it, Wakka!_ he scolded himself. Straightening up from the bed, he decided that he just needed to go to his _own _room, and avoid any one-on-one interaction with her for a few days.

_Yeah, that's it. Give me a few days, and this – whatever it is – will go away on it's own._ Lightning flashed again, and illuminated her sleeping form. She looked so angelic and peaceful. _Yeah, right, it'll go away. Just keep tellin' yourself dat, brudda._

He turned to leave the room, but she reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wakka," she said sleepily. "Don't leave."

Confused and frustrated, he turned back to her. "I'm not leaving! What are you thinkin', eh?" he joked, trying to keep things light.

Rikku smiled softly into the darkness as she felt him lie down next to her. She rolled over and curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest. "Good night, Wakka," she whispered dreamily, completely unaware of what she was doing to him. "Sleep well."

Wakka almost laughed out loud. Her hair was tickling his neck; he could feel her soft, even breath on his skin. He wondered if she could hear how fast his heart was thudding in his chest. _Sleep? Maybe if I go sleep outside in the da freezing cold rain, ya?_

Sighing, he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her silky, wheat-colored hair. She murmured softly in her sleep, and threw one of her legs across his lower body.

Cursing Yevon in his head, he stared up at the ceiling and tried to think about blitzball. But every time he thought about tackling an opponent, his mind wandered to a _different_ kind of tackling, the kind that involved tangled limbs and tangled sheets and tangled golden hair and an infectious, bubbly giggle. He figured she was the type who would giggle while …

_Dammit! _These thoughts were _not_ welcome, and yet, he couldn't stop thinking them. Never before had he thought himself to be so _weak_ to a lithe body or long hair that was the color of sunshine or a cute smile. He was a man of _Yevon_, for crying out loud. He was on this pilgrimage to be there for Yuna, and to avenge Chappu. And besides, what about Lu?

Well, he knew _that_ was a lame excuse. Lu had been _Chappu's_, never his, and the only reason he cared so much was because he felt that he owed it to his brother to look out for her. But she had told him herself, back in Guadosalam, that she didn't _need_ him to look out for her any more. And hadn't she said that he needed to live his _own_ life?

He was pretty sure that this was _not _what Lulu had had in mind.

He tried to roll away from Rikku, to gain some mental clarity, but she just clung tighter to him. "Uh-uh," she protested in her sleep, willing him not to move.

Groaning to himself, he wondered how well he would function the next day on no sleep.

Sleeping out in the rain was starting to sound better all the time …


	5. Chapter 4: Head Over Feet

**Chapter Four  
****Head Over Feet**

**Part One**

She didn't think she'd ever seen a more beautiful, more haunting place than Macalania Forest. The trees had leaves made of crystals, and the sound they made when the breeze whistled through them was magical. The ground shimmered and sparkled, and when Rikku reached out and touched the trunk of the nearest tree, it left a light sheen on her fingertips. She had no problem imagining faeries or elves living in these woods.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to make up wonderful little fairy tales in her head as they walked on. Yunie had announced, back in the Thunder Plains, that she was going to marry Maester Seymour. Rikku had _no idea_ why anyone would want to do that.

As bad as she felt for her poor cousin – and she felt _horrible_ – there was something else gnawing on her mind as well. And it bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

_Wakka_.

He hadn't spoken to her at all since they had left the Travel Agency back on the Thunder Plains that morning. She couldn't figure out why. Every time she walked over to him to strike up a conversation, he quickly began talking to whoever was nearest him. And completely ignoring _her_.

Rikku did _not _like being ignored. Especially not after she had thought that they were becoming friends. Had he just been nice to her because Sir Auron told him to? Maybe he thought she was just a little kid who needed to be taken care of.

Rikku jutted out her chin and crossed her arms over her chest. Well, if _that _was what he thought of her, she'd just have to prove him wrong, now wouldn't she? Rikku knew avoidance when she saw it. But she was clever and crafty. After all, she _was_ a thief.

_You can't avoid me forever,_ she thought, smiling softly in the direction of the blitzball player. _I can make sure of that._ She studied him surreptitiously. She had seen something in his eyes the night before. It was a look that she wasn't _overly_ familiar with, but a recognizable one, nonetheless. Plus, hadn't his heart thumped just a _little_ bit faster than was normal when she had laid her head on his chest?

A tiny smirk crept up on her face. Wakka walked up ahead, talking in low tones with Lulu. Rikku's smirk faded slightly. If she had to compete with _Lulu_ for Wakka's attention, she feared that she would come up _seriously_ lacking.

And it wasn't just because of Lulu's cold beauty or stunning figure. Lulu seemed to be so put together, so _adult_. Rikku always felt hopelessly young when she was around her.

Yuna came up to her then. "Rikku?" she said softly. "Are you all right?"

Leave it to Yunie … she had a gazillion other things of her _own _to worry about, and yet, she was inquiring about the well being of everyone else in the group.

Rikku forced a smile. "I'm fine, Yunie, really. Just thinking is all."

Yuna nodded. "Well, if you ever _do _want to talk, I'm here." She smiled her serene smile and then walked over to talk to Tidus.

Rikku went back to watching Wakka and Lulu. She _really _wished Lulu would leave him alone. How was she supposed to go up and be all cute and coy and cunning and downright _irresistible _when Lulu was standing right there? Dark, exotic Lulu would overshadow perky little Rikku any day of the week.

About two hours into the forest, Yuna requested that they stop for a break in a small clearing. Sir Auron nodded his acquiescence. Everyone sat around and took advantage of the interlude. Wakka and Lulu sat together, still deep in thought.

Rikku walked over to the far edge of the clearing and stared into the dark woods that still lie ahead. Anything to avoid looking at _them_. She sighed and leaned against one of the sparkling trees. What was _happening_ to her? Why should she care whom he talked to? They were hardly even _friends_ themselves, and besides, if he knew she was Al Bhed … She closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about that right now.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she barely noticed the butterfly that landed on her shoulder, or how the clouds above cleared momentarily, causing a bright shaft of moonlight to slant downward directly over her location.

It was amazing. The sky had been dark and ominous just moments ago, and then, out of nowhere, a single moonbeam burst through and surrounded Rikku in its silvery light. Her skin glistened – almost _glowed_ – in the illumination. There was a delicate multi-colored butterfly perched on her shoulder, and she had a completely bewildered expression on her face. She looked like a tiny faerie or wood nymph. 

Wakka spoke without even realizing it. "Whoa."

Everyone looked up at Wakka's remark, and there was a collective intake of breath. Then, almost instantaneously, the clouds blocked out the moon again and the woods were thrown back into their perpetual state of darkness.

Rikku looked at her companions oddly. Why had they been _staring _at her like that? "Is something wrong?" she asked, walking back toward them.

Lulu shook her head. "Oh, no … We thought … we thought there was a fiend behind you."

Rikku nodded, her eyes still puzzled. Wakka – he was still just _staring_ at her. She couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

Sir Auron stood up. "I think we are ready to continue," he said gruffly, leading them on. He didn't want anyone to see the smile that was beginning to play on his lips. Lord Braska – he was no idiot. He knew what he was doing. And he was doing a damn good job of it, too. Maybe a little _too _good. Auron wondered if Wakka was beginning to get the picture. He had to be. Even Wakka wasn't _that_ dim.

He almost felt bad for Wakka. The road ahead of him was not going to be an easy one – but it was necessary. For so many reasons; for so many people, himself included. Spira may have been an endless cycle of death, but virtue was also rewarded. And Wakka and Rikku had both been virtuous. _Their_ story hadn't even begun yet – but there was so much resting in the balance. It was, in the most literal sense, a matter of life and death. Auron only hoped that there was still enough time.

Rikku followed behind Sir Auron and tried to make sense of what had just happened. Yuna caught up to her and squeezed her hand with a smile. "I think it was my father," she whispered.

"What _are_ you talking about?" Rikku asked her.

"Did you not feel the moon? The butterfly? I think my father was trying to tell us something. Something about _you_," Yuna explained.

"Yunie, that's crazy!" Rikku protested, although she had to admit, she _had_ felt it. The soft glow of moonlight that had encircled her like an embrace, the butterfly that had ever so lightly kissed her shoulder.

"Not so crazy," Yuna said in a soft voice. "We should keep an eye on you."

**Part Two**

"Absolutely amazing," Lulu commented. "She's beautiful."

Wakka shot her a disbelieving look, one he hoped was convincing. "Whatever you say, Lu," he mumbled. He wasn't about to admit that what he had just seen had knocked the breath completely out of him. "Beautiful" did not even begin to describe Rikku. He wasn't sure that there _were_ any words strong enough.

"Ahem." A small voice behind them caused Lulu to turn around. Rikku smiled apologetically at the mage. "I'm sorry, but, uh, can I talk to Wakka for a second?"

Lulu smiled. "Of course!"

Wakka glared at Lulu. He had told himself, earlier that morning, that he would _avoid _any one-on-one face-time with Rikku. He hadn't slept a wink the night before in that damn Travel Agency, and he just wanted to forget that anything had ever happened.

He couldn't actually be having – _feelings_ for her, could he? Nah, that was ridiculous. He barely even knew her. But still – the feelings _were_ there, creeping up on him every time he looked in her direction.

And that moment back in the clearing had caused those feelings to come rushing at him like an angry Dual Horn. He wasn't really sure how much longer he could ignore them, or pretend that it was nothing.

Lulu walked off, and Rikku punched Wakka in the arm playfully. "Hey, you," she said, smiling up at him. "Ignoring a girl's a good way to make her think you're mad." She tried to keep her tone light, but there was a pained undercurrent to it.

Wakka blew out an uneasy breath. "I'm not mad at you."

Rikku nodded and looked down at her feet. "Well, then. I guess – I guess that I was wrong."

"Wrong 'bout what?" Wakka asked nervously.

"I thought that maybe we were becoming friends," Rikku said softly. "But you probably don't want a silly little girl who's afraid of thunderstorms as a friend, right? Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. For staying with me last night, you know? It meant a lot." She started to walk off, but Wakka caught her upper arm with his hand. She smiled to herself before turning back to him.

"Rikku, wait, I'm sorry, ya?" Wakka said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "You _were_ wrong."

Rikku looked at him, pain and disappointment in her eyes. "I was?"

"We aren't _becoming_ friends, eh? We already _are_." Wakka told her, his grin lighting up his face.

Rikku grinned back. "Good," she told him. She placed her hands on her hips, and looked at him with a mock-stern expression on her face. "Now, if you're going to be my friend, there are a few rules," she teased.

"Oh, really?" Wakka shot back. "Like what, eh?"

"Well, for one, no more of this ignoring me business, you hear? I will kick you to the curb in a _second_ if you ever do that again!"

Wakka laughed. "Yes, ma'am. Anything else?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact there is. You gotta start telling me the truth!" Rikku demanded.

"Truth about what?" he asked.

"Well, for one, _why _was everyone staring at me just a little while ago?"

_Because you're beautiful_. The thought hit him unexpectedly, and he found that hecould hardly breathe. "It was nothing, really," he told her, trying to sound nonchalant. "It was just kinda funny how the light shone directly on you, ya? Kinda took everyone surprise, and what with that butterfly, too." _Oh, she'll see right through that! Lame excuse, Wakka!_

But Rikku nodded, satisfied with his answer. For now anyway. She knew there was something more that he wasn't saying, but she wouldn't press the issue. Instead, she linked her arm with his casually and smiled at him again.

His heart skipped in his chest as he looked down at her. She was smiling _that smile_ again, the one that made him feel like he was melting. This time he smiled back. He knew that if he wanted to, he could get used to this.

_He was pretty sure he wanted to._

No one could predict what lie ahead on their journey, but he was certain he wanted her to be with him, as his friend for now, and maybe… Well, he would take things one day at a time. He had to know how she felt first and foremost. Because if she didn't feel the same … Well, he could cross that bridge later, ya?

Rikku looked up at Wakka, happy that she could finally say that they were _friends_. However, she felt the knife of guilt twisting and turning in her stomach.

_I should tell him that I am Al Bhed. No! I can't. There's no reason for him to have to know. It'll only hurt him. Nobody's gonna tell him. If I tell him, he might hate me, and I don't think I could handle that. He'll never find out, he never has to know._

Even as she was telling herself that, she had the sickening feeling that something awful was about to happen and ruin the bond that had been forged between them.

Something that might ruin everything for everyone.

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! XD If you couldn't tell from certain passages in this chapter, I have a PLAN ... a big huge twisty-turny kinda plan that will cause for quite an interesting story ... Originally, this was just going to be a simple, run-of-the-mill pilgrimage story, but something came to me that was a lot better! Once again, it's thanks to Avelera for allowing me to toss ideas around with her, and for telling me which ones are keepers and which ones need to be chucked! So, thanks Avelera! XD So, I hope that those of you reading it are enjoying it, and get ready for a helluva ride! As always, R&R ... Later! Rhianna XD**


	6. Chapter 5: Slow Motion

**Chapter Five  
****Slow Motion**

**Part One**

It was a very broken group that entered the Lake Macalania Travel Agency late that evening. The group had just battled something called a Spherimorph, and it had drained nearly everyone of their magic and health.

_Plus_, it was _freezing_ at Lake Macalania. Rikku was a desert-dweller, and she definitely was not made for the colder regions of Spira. She dared not complain, for she knew somebody would throw out a disparaging remark about her clothing – or lack thereof for that matter.

She was quite aware that she wasn't properly dressed for a cross-Spira trek, but that hadn't exactly been her plan when she had set out, nearly a week ago. And now she was stuck, with no way out, to watch her beloved cousin basically commit suicide.

_Stupid Yevonite traditions_, she thought bitterly to herself, glaring at the most devout of them all as she ruminated.

What _was_ his deal any way? A while ago, they had been avowing their friendship to each other, and now he was barely even looking at her. Was he _always_ this wishy-washy?

She decided to talk to the person who knew him best. While Yuna finished healing everyone, Rikku crossed the lobby to where the black mage stood. She was alone, thank the gods, and she looked thoughtful.

"Lulu?" Rikku began meekly.

Lulu's startling red eyes focused on the younger girl, and she gave her the closest thing to a smile that she could manage. "Oh, hello, Rikku," she said in her quietly husky voice.

"Uh, if you're not, like, busy or anything, do you think that maybe we could talk?" Rikku said, feeling nervous around the poised older girl.

Lulu looked at Rikku, amusement in her eyes. "Of course," she said kindly. She gestured for Rikku to follow her back to one of the rooms. Once they were behind the closed doors, she turned to the young Al Bhed. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Rikku was astonished. "How – how did you know there's trouble?"

Lulu laughed a little. "I may not talk much, but I notice things. I notice _all _kinds of things," she said pointedly.

Rikku felt her face heating up. "So, uh, you know that this is about Wakka?"

Lulu nodded. "It's okay, you know." Smiling to herself a little, she continued. "It was bound to happen sometime. Somebody had to be the first one to find him charming and endearing in his own way."

Rikku was puzzled. "The first? What about _you_? I mean, didn't you guys, like – I mean, don't you two have a history?"

Lulu shook her head, shock evident on her pretty features. "What gave you _that_ idea?"

Rikku sighed. "Well, you guys talk to each other all the time – about everything. And you seem very close. Closer than just friends."

Lulu shook her head and sighed. "Well, it's because we've been through a lot together. First our parents, and then Chappu …" She trailed off, and her expression grew dreamy.

"Chappu?" Rikku repeated, her voice very quiet. Suddenly, a light dawned over her face. "Why didn't I realize this sooner? Chappu – _your_ boyfriend. Wakka's _brother_."

Lulu froze. "How do you know about Chappu?" She was sure the last time he had been mentioned had been on the Farplane, and Rikku had not been there. Perhaps Wakka had said something to her?

Rikku looked up at Lulu, her green eyes sad. "Because I was there, on Djose."

Lulu looked at the younger girl, her own eyes blazing. "You were _there_?" she rasped. "Did you _know _him?"

Rikku smiled. "Yes. He was the first Yevonite that I ever met that treated me like an equal. He was really nice to me. We'd sit together in the evenings, and he'd tell me stories about Besaid. He knew Yunie, so we had that in common."

Lulu took a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe, Rikku could ease her mind about something that had plagued her since Chappu's death. "Rikku, when Chappu – when he – was he alone?" Lulu was flustered, which was something that Rikku didn't think was possible.

Rikku's eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at the mage. She shook her head. "No. I was with him. I saw him go down, and I ran like I had never run before to get to him. I held him in my arms. Yours was the last name he said." Taking a deep breath, she looked down. "He said, 'Lu, I'm sorry'."

Lulu's face showed pure anguish. Rikku _hated_ that she had been the one who had put it there. "Rikku," Lulu began.

"No, Lulu, I'm sorry. I shouldn't, I shouldn't have said anything."

Lulu shook her head. "No, Rikku, I'm _glad _that you spoke. I had always worried that he was alone … now I know that he was in very good hands." She smiled at the Al Bhed kindly. "Thank you."

The two women sat in companionable silence for a while, and then Rikku spoke again. "Chappu was _Wakka's_ brother? They're so – _different_."

Lulu nodded. "Well, Chappu always seemed to have everything that Wakka didn't. Chappu was handsome and smart and all the girls loved him. He was athletic and noble. When he died, Wakka came to the conclusion that it was because Chappu had had no faith. So he vowed to be faithful enough for both of them, to make up for Chappu's mistakes and to avenge him."

Rikku looked down. "I should tell him, shouldn't I?"

"Tell him what?"

"What I am – _Who_ I am. An Al Bhed," Rikku explained.

"No, Rikku. You can't." Lulu was forceful.

"I can't _lie_ to him, Lulu," Rikku protested.

"You don't have to lie," Lulu told her. "There's just no reason he should ever have to know. Nobody else will tell him that you are Al Bhed, and if he hasn't figured it out on his own by now, I would say that there's a good chance he never will."

"No, Lulu. I _can't_ lie to _him_." Rikku's voice was small, and she wouldn't look directly at the brunette.

"Oh. _Ohhh_," Lulu sighed. "I see. Rikku, you know that this is a bad idea, don't you?"

Rikku had a pained expression on her face. "I _know_. It's like, the most hopeless of _all_ hopeless situations! My pops would absolutely lose it if he knew I was even on this pilgrimage, let alone if he knew that I was getting a crush on a Yevonite!"

Lulu's eyebrow rose. "A crush?"

Rikku bit her lip, realizing once again that she had spoken too freely. Damn her emotions always getting the best of her! "Yeah. And I know that it's just _stupid_. I mean, we have a pilgrimage to concern ourselves with! And, you know, he doesn't think that _I'm_ anything special. I mean, he pretty much avoids me at all costs."

Lulu smiled reassuringly at the young girl. "Wakka can be confusing, but don't give up on him so easily. He might just surprise you."

Lulu left, and Rikku sat alone and pondered things. She hoped that Lulu wasn't mad at her for telling her about Chappu. And what should she do about Wakka? She wanted tell him about Chappu, but she knew that she couldn't do that without revealing her Al Bhed identity.

But she _wanted_ to tell him that she was Al Bhed.

Blowing her bangs off her forehead in frustration, she stared out the window and watched the falling snow. It never ceased to amaze her how something so pure and spiritual could be so cold – cold enough to cut through to your bones.

**Part Two**

Wakka woke up the next morning, shivering. For all their fancy machina, the Al Bhed couldn't seem to keep their Travel Agencies warm in the frigid climate of Lake Macalania.

He climbed out of bed and dressed quickly. He was repositioning his blue headband when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door swung open and a bouncing ball of blonde-haired energy entered. "Morning, Wakka!" Rikku sang out cheerily. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have an extra wrap or cloak or somethin' would you?"

Wakka eyed her warily. "What for? Isn't that outfit warm enough?" he teased.

Rikku glared at him. "Wak-ka," she whined. "Look, I'm only asking you 'cause I thought you'd be nice to me! _Please?_ I'm not _used_ to the cold!"

Wakka rolled his eyes and went to his knapsack. He pulled out a somewhat worn blue cloak and handed it to her. "Which brings up an interesting point," he said. "Where _are_ you from, anyway?"

Rikku's eyes widened. She grabbed the cloak and pulled it on, tying it tightly. "Here and there," she muttered. "I told you, Pops likes to travel."

"But where were you from originally?" Wakka was looking at her intently. _Why won't she tell me? It's not like it's some big secret, ya?_

Rikku sighed and smiled at Wakka. "Mom died when I was really little, so I don't know where I'm from."

She _hated_ this lying to him. But it was for the best, right? Everyone else seemed to think so. Even _Yuna_. To be honest, Rikku understood that Wakka didn't like the Al Bhed, that he had some big grudge against them because of Chappu – but how bad could it be, really?

"Thanks for the cloak," she said, and turned to go.

"Rikku, wait," Wakka said.

Rikku turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"Did Lu say somethin' about me last night?"

_There he goes again, scratching the back of his neck – why do I find that cute?_ Rikku groaned inwardly at the thought. To Wakka, she just shook her head. "No, nothing. We weren't talking about_ you_. Mostly about Yunie and the pilgrimage. Stuff like that."

"Oh," Wakka said. He wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not. Surely, if she was _interested_ in him, she would seek Lu's counsel, wouldn't she? That was what the other girls had always done, what few of them there were.

Then again, Rikku wasn't like any of the other girls he had ever known. For one, he'd never even _seen_ anyone as golden as she was. And for another, he'd never known anyone as bubbly or bright or funny or outrageous.

"You seem disappointed, Wakka," Rikku teased. "Don't worry. Next time, I'll be sure to talk about you and nothing _but _you." She touched the tip of his nose lightly before turning and flouncing out of his room.

Wakka watched her go, his feelings more in turmoil than they had ever been before.

Yes, he _definitely _liked her. Was he going to act on it? He wasn't sure. He _wanted _to, there was no doubt about that. But he wasn't sure that she felt the same way, and he _really_ didn't like the thought of yet another rejection. Plus, should he _really_ be thinking about romance when there was a pilgrimage that all but _promised_ the death of one of his dearest friends to be concentrating on?

Shaking his head, he turned back to his pack. Frowning, he sifted through the contents before he threw up his hands. "Dammit!" he swore.

He had given her his _only _cloak.

**Part Three**

She smelled it on the air long before the snowmobiles came into site. Oil. _Ur hu, ur hu, ur hu! Bmayca … hud drec, yhodrehk pid drec!_ She looked frantically at her companions, but nobody seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Yet, anyway.

"Yo, Rikku!"

Wakka's voice behind her made her smile. She turned back to face him. She noticed with some concern that he didn't have a cloak. "Wakka, did you give me your _only_ cloak, you dummy?" Sighing, she shook her head and held her arm open wide. "C'mon, I'll share!"

He looked at her uneasily. "Uh, are you sure 'bout that?"

Rikku sighed. "We'll _both _be warmer if you get over here. I promise, I won't try anything unsavory," she joked.

Rolling his eyes, he walked over to her. She spread the long cloak around his shoulders and huddled into his side. "See? Isn't that much better?" she said softly.

He thought he might have died and gone to heaven. However, his bliss was short-lived.

They walked a little farther past the Travel Agency, and were once again accosted by Tromell and a few other Guados. "Lady Yuna!" Tromell said warmly. "We've been expecting you. The maester is waiting at the temple." He turned to the guardians. "It is Guado custom, you understand. We will send an envoy for the rest of you shortly."

"Go ahead Yuna," Sir Auron said. "We're behind you." Yuna nodded. Sir Auron chuckled a bit. "Sorry," he said to Tidus. "That was your line."

Tidus ran up a little bit farther ahead. "Yuna!" he called, and then he whistled.

Yuna turned, her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Yessir!" she called back, and then turned to follow the Guados.

At that moment, the snowmobiles crested the top of a snow-covered hill just a little farther off in the distance. Rikku's heart leapt into her throat when she saw who was astride the machines.

"Oh, no!" she cried.

"Al Bhed!" Wakka exclaimed

The snowmobiles surrounded the group then, and the guardians wasted no time in rushing to Yuna's side. Rikku was pleading to her damn Brother with her eyes. _Bmayca … tuh'd tu drec!_ But as always, Brother wasn't paying attention to his little sister.

"Stand back!" Sir Auron called.

Tromell tried to lead Yuna to safety, but she jerked her hand free from his grasp. "I will fight with them," she said, her voice unwavering.

"Rikku!" Brother called out and Rikku looked up at him nervously. She could feel the other guardians' eyes burning into her. Especially _his_. "Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec!" Brother continued.

A giant cannon rolled up over the hill. Rikku shook her head and tried desperately to fight back the tears that were threatening her. Brother laughed and proceeded to tell Rikku that he was going to freeze their magic and summoning abilities.

"Uh, translation please?" Tidus said from behind her.

"He's using an anti-magic field on us!" Rikku said desperately. She pointed at the small floating Negator. "We gotta take that out first."

Wakka's surefire blitzball attacks took out the Negator with little problem and after everyone took a good swipe at the cannon, Yuna summoned Ixion to finish off the fight.

Everyone was gasping and battle-weary by the end of the fight, but Brother just couldn't leave well enough alone. "Rikku! E femm damm Vydran!" he shouted to his wayward little sister.

"E ys dra guardian uv Yuna, oui caa?" Rikku shouted back. "Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran! Cra ec cyva!"

Brother yelled back, and then he ran off.

Rikku giggled nervously to herself as she turned to face the others. "I – I told him I was a guardian. I had to, really," she stammered quietly. She knew _he _was staring at her, and she couldn't bear to meet his eyes.

"How come you speak Al Bhed?" he demanded. "_Why_?"

Rikku looked up, her anguish written clearly all over her face. She held her head high, though. She wouldn't be ashamed of her race just because someone challenged her. Even if it was someone she _cared_ for a great deal.

Tidus looked nervously at Lulu, who looked completely lost as to what to do. "Uh, well," Tidus began, fumbling for words.

Rikku held up her hand to silence him. This was _her _fight. She owed Wakka that much. After all he'd done for her – and this was how she repaid him? By _lying_ to him? Her stomach flipped over. "Because – _I'm _Al Bhed," she said firmly. "And that – that was my brother."

Wakka's face turned as red as his hair, and Rikku bit her lip. _Fro, fro, fro ec drec rybbahehk?_ "Wakka …"

He shook his head and clutched tightly to his blitzball. So tightly, that Rikku feared he might pop it. "No, just don't," he said coldly to her. He turned to Tidus and Lulu. "Lu? Tidus? You knew?" They could only nod. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?" he demanded.

"We knew you'd be upset …" Lulu began.

Wakka laughed derisively. "Upset? _Upset_? No, Lu, I'm not upset." He turned to Rikku and glared at her with such vehemence that she jumped. "I've just been traveling with a _heathen_ this whole time, why would that upset me, huh?"

"Wakka …" Rikku tried again.

"_Don't_." One word, but in that one word, Rikku felt every single biting racial slur that had ever been thrown in her direction, felt every haughty look that had ever been cast upon her, and she snapped.

"Don't what?" she challenged.

Tidus cleared his throat, clearly nervous about what was going on. Rikku and Wakka both ignored him.

"Don't _talk _to me!" Wakka shot back. "You and your _kind_ – you just ruin _everything_, ya? You take everything away!"

"I thought _Sin_ took everything away!" Rikku retorted snottily.

"Well, it's because of you and your _people_ using forbidden machina that Sin is here in the first place!"

"You got proof? Show me proof!" Wakka was silent and Rikku glared. "Yevon says this, Yevon says that. Can't you think for _yourself_?"

"What do you know about it anyway?" Wakka rebuked. "_You're _the reason Chappu is dead!"

Rikku's anger had reached the boiling point, and she knew that she was about to say something she would regret, but she didn't care any more. "_I'm_ the reason Chappu died? _Me_? Well you know what Wakka? _My face was the last one that your brother ever saw!_ I still have a shirt that is stained with _his_ blood. I tried like _hell _to cure him and make him better again, but it didn't work!"

Everyone stood, dumbfounded at Rikku's outburst.

"He was the first Yevonite who ever treated me like a person, you know?" she continued, her voice getting shaky. "He used to tell me stories about Besaid. He told me that his brother was 'the best guy in Spira'. The nicest, the funniest, the friendliest." She looked at Wakka derisively, so mad now that she couldn't even _see_ straight. This man – this man that she had thought she might be able to …

He had become a monster – a bigoted, racist _monster_ – before her very eyes. That hurt more than she could even begin to comprehend at the moment. "What would he think of you _now_, I wonder? Chappu would be _ashamed _of you, Wakka, that's what!"

"Rikku!" Sir Auron's voice broke into Rikku's tirade. "Will this go?"

Rikku turned away from Wakka and looked at the legendary guardian. He stood over one of the snowmobiles. She forced a smile, hoping to block the tears from falling, and hurried to his side. She began fiddling with the machina, hoping to get it started.

Wakka felt like he had been punched in the stomach, slapped in the face, and kneed in the groin, all at once. _Rikku knew Chappu? Rikku was there when he died? So … he didn't die alone. Instead, he died in the arms of a heathen!_ Wakka honestly didn't know what was worse. And here he had been, about to go ahead and _fall in love _with that cursed girl …

He noticed the others huddling around those damned machina and he glared. "We're not using _that_ are we? Wait … Sir Auron's not Al Bhed, too, is he?"

Tidus rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Wakka …" he began. "I mean, getting mad just because you found out Rikku's Al Bhed? You guys got along fine before."

_It isn't just that!_ Wakka told himself. _It's the fact that she _lied _to me, to my face! I thought we were friends … and she kept this from me! How can I even look at her the same any more? I can't. She's _nothing_ to me now. Less than nothing. She's Al Bhed._ Maybe he was being unreasonable, but he really didn't care. The Al Bhed were the lowest of the low. He never was the kind to hold a grudge – he was too good-natured and easy-going for that – but the _Al Bhed_ were the reason Sin was there – the reason Chappu had _died_.

And the fact that it had been an _Al Bhed_ at his beloved brother's side when he had passed – there weren't strong enough words to express the pain and suffering that that caused him.

He turned and began walking off in the direction of Macalania Temple.

"Let him go," he heard Sir Auron say. "Give him time to think."

Wakka heard footsteps running up behind him. He turned around, and was surprised to see Rikku. She untied his cloak from around her shoulders and dropped it onto the ground in front of him.

"I don't want anything that belongs to _you_ near me," she hissed at him, mouth set in a firm line. "You've completely frozen me out, all because of who I am! Nothing I do or say is going to make any difference to you now, you know? So I'm not even going to bother any more! You want to know how I feel right now, Wakka?" Slowly and deliberately, she stomped her wet and muddy boot down on the cloak, crushing it and soiling it beneath her foot. "Like _that_." She gestured at the dirty fabric. Rikku figured it was pretty symbolic of what _he_ had just done to her heart. She felt the tears threatening, but there was _no way_ she was going to let him see her cry.

She spun on her heel and raced back to the snowmobile. She climbed on behind Sir Auron and they sped off toward the temple. Tidus and Lulu were not far behind. Wakka stood there, staring after them for what seemed like an eternity.

When they were all out of sight, he knelt and picked up the marred garment. For the first time in his life, the high road, the _righteous_ road, didn't feel so great. In fact, it felt pretty damned awful.

_But _she_ betrayed_ me He argued with himself. It didn't help. In fact, it just made things worse.

He had been ready to care for her – maybe _even_ fall head over heels in love with her – and she had _betrayed_ him.

That was something he didn't think he would ever be able to forget.

**A/N: Well, here's the next chappie! It's nice and long and pretty damned dramatic ... As you can see, I used a bit of the actual in-game dialogue, but I added a bunch of extra stuffto make it more gut-wrenching (lol)and fitting to the whole Wakka/Rikku storyline. Also, here are the Al Bhed translations for this chap:**

**"Ur hu ..." "Oh no"  
"Bmayca ... hud drec, yhodrehk pid drec!" "Please ... not this, anything but this!"  
"Tuh'd tu drec!" "Don't do this!"  
"Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec!" "Don't interfere or you get this!"  
"E femm damm Vydran!" "I will tell Father!"  
"E ys dra 'guardian' uv Yuna, oui caa?" "I am the guardian of Yuna, you see?"  
"Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran! Cra ec cyva!" "Yuna is safe! We will guard her! She is safe!"  
"Fro ... ec drec rybbadehk?" "Why ... is this happening?" **

As always, R&R and enjoy till next chap! XOXOXO, Rhianna XD


	7. Chapter 6: Gravity Of Love

**A/N: Well, here's a nice long chappie for you guys, since I won't be writing any this weekend (sorry)! Hope you like it ... this chappie is the turning point in the story, from here on, it's going to be all kinds of fun! XD So R&R as always! Here are the few Al Bhed translations for this chap:**

**"Fru tet drec du oui?" "Who did this to you?"  
"Vydran!" "Father!"  
"Ku, ku, ku!" "Go, go, go!"**

**Some of the dialogue and whatnot in this chap is directly from the game, but I've peppered it up with a bunch of my own stuff to make it oh-so-dramatic! Whoo-hoo! Enjoy! Rhianna XD**

**Chapter Six  
****Gravity of Love**

**Part One**

On his walk to the temple, a thought occurred to him. After everything had gone down between himself and Rikku, everyone – _even Lu –_ had been on _her_ side. Was he really that unreasonable and stubborn? Was he _wrong_?

He had always hated admitting that he was wrong. It felt like weakness to him, and in this case, he still wasn't entirely convinced that he _was_ wrong. Maybe everyone else was, and he was the only sane one left.

The walk to the temple was long, lonely, and cold. He looked at his muddied cloak forlornly. Had it really been only a little over an hour ago that he and Rikku had been huddled closely underneath the garment's warmth? He could remember perfectly how she had smelled –_spicy and sweet like cinnamon and sandalwood and roses_ – and how perfectly she had fit into his side. Her giggle echoed in his mind.

What was he _doing_? Why was he _still _thinking about her, as if nothing had changed?

_Because nothing has changed_. The voice gnawed at his mind, threatening his sanity, his beliefs. His faith.

"No, _everything _has changed!" he said aloud. No one was around, and to tell the truth, he wouldn't have cared either way. "She's forbidden, ya? She's like _Sin _itself."

And she had lied. To his face, blatantly _lied_. They had become friends – _more than friends _– and she could have told him at any time. But she didn't. _Why?_

But he knew the answer. He knew why she hadn't been forthcoming about her heritage; why everyone else had told her not to say anything. Because of how he was behaving now. If he was going to be honest with himself, and he thought that he was, he knew that even if she had come straight up to him, baring her soul – _Wakka, I am Al Bhed_ – he would have reacted the same way.

The Al Bhed – no matter how he felt about _one_ of them – they were all to blame. They all used the machina; they all went against the teachings. He wouldn't forgive.

He _couldn't_ forgive.

**Part Two**

They weren't going to let her into the temple. The priest took one look at her face, noticed her swirled emerald green eyes, and held up his hands. "The likes of _her_ are not allowed inside this hallowed place," he sneered.

Rikku felt like crying all over again. This day really couldn't get much worse. It was cold, Yunie was in there _all alone with Seymour_, the stupid priest wouldn't let her into the temple, she had lost Wakka.

_Wakka._

She didn't want to think about him, but he was still nagging at the back of her mind. The way he had looked at her – it had pierced her clear through the heart. It was the coldest look she had ever seen from _anyone_, _anywhere_. And the fact that it was directed at _her_ …

Sir Auron came up behind the young Al Bhed, and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He had seen how difficult this day had been for her, and he was determined to ease her pain a little, if he could.

"She is a guardian of the Lady Yuna," he told the priest.

"An Al Bhed, a _guardian_?" the priest spat. "That's preposterous."

Rikku wondered if punching the smug Yevonite bastard priest with her Hurricane Claw would be entirely unreasonable.

"She is here of her own volition, and that is all one needs to be a guardian," Sir Auron said firmly, giving the priest a look that left no room for argument.

The sound of snow crunching behind her made Rikku turn around. Wakka had finally made it to the temple, and he was standing behind them, watching the scene unfold.

_He probably loves this! _Rikku thought bitterly. _He probably feels that it proves him right or something!_ She quickly turned away from him and looked back at Sir Auron, who ushered her inside the temple.

Wakka trudged in slowly behind them. "Rikku!" Tidus called out. Rikku, thankful for the escape, ran over to where he and Lulu were standing.

Sir Auron stopped in front of Wakka and led him off to the side. "You're keen on repentance, aren't you, Wakka?" the older guardian asked.

Wakka was puzzled, but he shrugged. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Sir Auron nodded once. "You have much to repent for today."

All of a sudden, it dawned on Wakka what this was all about. "_I'm_ not the one who lied to everybody, ya?" he said forcefully.

"She lied to nobody," Auron said, his voice never faltering.

"She lied to _me_," Wakka retorted, feeling very insignificant at the moment.

"Obviously this bothers you a great deal more than it bothers anyone else," Auron said quietly. "Perhaps you should think about why."

With that, the red-clad guardian walked over to where the others stood. Wakka glared at his retreating form. He was _tired_ of being chastised. Everyone was entitled to their own beliefs, ya? So _why_ was everyone being so hard on him?

He didn't have time to contemplate the subject much longer, because there was suddenly a blood-curdling scream coming from one of the temple's chambers.

"Lord Jyscal!" the woman cried. "A sphere! In Lady Yuna's belongings!"

The guardians made their way into the small room behind the stairs. Auron "humph"ed to himself. "This may well answer a few questions."

Tidus quickly flicked the sphere on, and then sat down on the floor beside Rikku. Wakka couldn't help but feel a little pang at the sight. _They're sitting awfully close, aren't they? _But any and all thoughts about Tidus, or Rikku, or anything for that matter, quickly left his mind as they watched the sphere.

Lord Jyscal appeared and began speaking in worried tones.

_What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I will tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed, even to me, a Maester of Yevon._

_But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even the summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring chaos and destruction to Spira._

_I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered, and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as punishment for my deeds_

_But whoever is watching this …I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son!_

The sphere clicked off, and Rikku bounded up. Auron grunted. "Wonderful," he said dryly.

Rikku turned to Sir Auron with worried eyes. "Will Yuna be okay?" she asked in a small voice.

"Without us, no," Auron said bluntly.

Kimahri and Rikku didn't need to hear anymore. Rikku looked up at the blue beast and they nodded at each other. Then they raced out of the room.

"Hey, where you goin'?" Wakka called.

Tidus, on his _own_ way out the door, turned to look at Wakka. "You saw right? Seymour's bad news!"

"Yeah, but …what are we gonna do? _Kill_ a maester?" Wakka protested feebly.

"Fine, stay here if you want!" Tidus yelled. He was _tired _of all this today. Wakka had been stubborn about Rikku – and her heart had been crushed. Now, he was being stubborn about Seymour – and Yuna's _life_ hung in the balance. If Wakka wanted to go back to Besaid at this point, Tidus could give a dingo's ass. He was in this for Yuna.

"Come on, Wakka," Lulu said gently. "Let's at least hear him out."

Wakka shook his head sadly as the first tremors began to shake and fissure his once rock-solid faith. "This can't be happening."

**Part Three**

It was hours later, and she was freezing cold. Rikku didn't have many thoughts in her head at this point. What good would _thinking_ do any of them? They had _killed _Seymour. And they were now traitors of Yevon.

The thought made Rikku smile wryly. As if she had ever been a _friend_ of Yevon. She looked sadly at the blitzball captain. Well … maybe she had been, for a little while. She shook her head, hoping to make some sense out of all this.

Where were they? She looked around at the group; no one else seemed to have any ideas either. Sighing, she sloshed through the icy, ankle-deep water and stood by Tidus. He was watching vigilantly over Yuna, who was still unconscious.

"I'm sure Yunie's fine, Tidus," Rikku said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's breathing and all." Taking a deep breath, she surveyed her surroundings until her eyes landed on Wakka. Wrinkling her nose, she turned her attention back to Tidus. "How are Lulu and Wakka?" she asked, trying not to sound _too _bitter.

"Well, Wakka's in shock," Tidus began, looking at Rikku sadly. "Can't blame him, really. He's had a hell of a day."

"We _all _have," Rikku countered. "He's not the only one who lost something today."

Tidus nodded. He understood, she didn't have to go on. "And Lulu," he went on, "well, she's just the same as always."

Rikku bit her lip. "She's so together. All grown up, I guess." Shivering a little, she shrugged.

"I guess," Tidus said, a little confused as to what she was talking about. He turned around to talk to Kimahri. "So, Kimahri, how do you think we're supposed to get out of here?"

Exasperated, Rikku tapped Tidus on the shoulder. "Hey! Don't change the subject!"

"We climb," Kimahri responded to Tidus' question.

Rikku stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips. "Kimahri too!"

The Ronso finally looked at the young Al Bhed. "Only those who try will become," he said stoically.

"_Huh_?" Rikku asked, puzzled.

"I think he means you have to work hard if you want to be like Lulu," Tidus explained, though to be honest, he really wasn't sure what the Ronso meant either.

"Oh! I will!" Rikku said emphatically.

"Kimahri think Rikku should stay Rikku," Kimahri continued.

"Hey! Are you saying I'll _never_ be like Lulu?" Rikku protested. "_Kimahri_!"

Tidus laughed, and hearing the sound made Rikku laugh too. It was funny – she didn't _know_ why they were laughing, but it felt good to let it out. Everyone had been so tense …

"How can you laugh at a time like this?" _His _voice was angry and cold, and the biting remark was aimed mostly at Rikku. She looked up, her expression slightly pained. "Have a little _respect_, ya? Or do you even know what that is?"

Rikku was about to open her mouth and say something really heinous to Wakka, when Tidus' voice broke into her thoughts. "Yuna!"

Relief washing over her, she ran to her cousin's side. "Yunie, you're awake, you're okay!"

Yuna smiled sweetly. "I'm fine, really. I'm sorry. Are you all okay?"

Everyone else nodded. After a few minutes of silence, Yuna finally explained why she had gone after Seymour alone, without telling her guardians of the plan.

"I know it was the wrong way to go about it, and I apologize," she said. "But I thought, I could negotiate with Lord Seymour. I thought I could convince him to turn himself into Yevon's judgment."

"In exchange for marriage?" Tidus filled in the blanks.

"Yes," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"What did Seymour say?" Tidus asked.

"He – he didn't say anything. Now … now I don't even think it was worth it." Yuna shook her head sadly. Rikku knelt beside her and put a comforting arm around her cousin's shoulders.

"Enough." Sir Auron's voice was harsh, cold. "Dwelling in the past is futile."

Rikku jumped up, glaring. "Hey! You don't have to say it like _that_!"

"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" Auron retorted.

Rikku turned back to Yuna and sighed. "You don't have to say it like that," she said, softer this time.

"Yuna, are you willing to continue?" Auron asked his summoner.

She nodded. "Do you think Yevon will allow it?" Her bi-colored eyes were full of questions.

"It doesn't matter," Auron proclaimed. "It's the Fayth who give the summoners their power, not the temples or the teachings. If the temples try to stop us, then we will defy Yevon, if we must."

Rikku's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "I can't believe you said that!" she gasped, walking over to him.

Wakka eyed them stonily. All of a sudden, Sir Auron was the big hero in her eyes – when not so very long ago, it had been _him_. Well, screw that! He wasn't going to defy the teachings just to impress some little heathen wench.

"Well, count me out!" he nearly shouted. "We have to atone, make up for the sins we have committed …"

"Aaaaargh!" Rikku screamed, suddenly fed up. "Shut _up_, Wakka! I'm so tired of hearing about your atonement and your transgressions and your _Yevon_. Don't you get it? This isn't _about _Yevon any more! It's about Yunie, and her pilgrimage, and the fact that like it or not, _we just killed a maester_! And you were there with us! You wanna back out now? You wanna stay here under the ice? _Fine_, no one's gonna stop you. But no one's staying here with you either!"

Her face was red, and her blood was boiling. But, damn, that felt _good_.

Yuna looked sadly at her cousin, and then at Wakka. "We must go to Bevelle," she said firmly. "We must speak with Maester Mika and explain what has happened. There is – no other way, I think."

Wakka, still shaken by Rikku's outburst, was glad to have something else to focus on. "I agree," he told Yuna.

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Yep, as long as it's Yevon-commissioned, he's on board …" she muttered. She _hated_ that there were tears stinging the back of her eyes, hated it even more that they were there because of _him_.

"So it is decided?" Auron asked Yuna.

"Will you come with us?" Yuna asked him hopefully.

"Well, I am the troublemaker after all," Auron said dryly.

Rikku, thankful for the diversion, jumped in. "That's right! Kimahri roars, and Sir Auron runs off …"

"I never asked you to follow me," Auron quipped.

"Yeah, but that's what friends are for," Tidus replied.

"Right!" Rikku agreed, and then she smiled impishly at Tidus. "Friends, huh? You know, that's only the _second time ever_ a non-Al Bhed's called me that."

Tidus grinned. "Second time, huh? Who was the first?"

"Chappu," Rikku said with a sad smile.

Wakka stood a few feet away and he overheard the conversation. "Friends?" he spat at her. "You call him your friend, but your people are the reason he died."

Tidus shook his head and massaged his temples. "Wakka, chill _out_," he said.

Lulu concurred with Tidus. "You're too edgy, Wakka. Listen to the Hymn and relax."

"How can I relax when _she's _over there talking 'bout my brother, sayin' they were _friends_, huh?" Wakka said sharply.

Rikku's features crumpled, but she held her head high. "Oh, so what, Wakka? Because _you_ hate the Al Bhed, it's _impossible _to think that your perfect brother might actually have _cared_ about someone like me? Did you ever stop to think that maybe what he did, he did of his own free will? Nobody had to force your brother to do anything!"

Wakka didn't say anything; he just looked away from her and stared off into the distance.

"Fine, I give up!" Rikku said, throwing up her hands. "Have it your way!"

She stormed off to sit by herself. She hid her face in her hands and felt the first teardrops fall from her eyes. _No, Rikku, dammit, don't cry over _him_. He's not worth it – he's just proven that._ But no matter what her head was telling her, her heart had a different story all together.

She sat alone for a while before anyone else spoke.

"The singing stopped," Lulu commented.

All of a sudden, the ground began to rumble and quake.

"There's something here!" Wakka called out. He didn't see Rikku anywhere, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was _worried_. Where the hell was she?

"Sin!" Yuna gasped.

The world went black.

**Part Four**

When Rikku woke up, the first thing she felt was the heat. She noted the sand that she lay on with a smile. _Bikanel. I'm home!_ Closing her eyes dreamily, she tilted her head back to greet the hot sun. "Oh, I've missed you!" she cried out, laughing. After all that time in Macalania and under the frozen lake, being back in the desert was like _heaven_ to her.

Looking around, she wondered where everyone else was. She remembered what they had said about staying put if they ever got separated, so she sought out shelter under an old lean-to.

Sitting there was really boring. She began drawing pictures in the sand, hoping and hoping that somebody – _anybody_ – would come along soon.

It seemed like hours before she made out the shapes of five people rushing toward her. Jumping up, she began waving like a crazy person. "Over here!" she called out.

Tidus, Auron, Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka all hurried to her location. "Where's Yunie?" Rikku asked.

Tidus shook his head. "Gone," he said, his voice cracking.

"Gone," Lulu repeated. "Some guardian I am."

"Um, there's something I want to tell you," Rikku began slowly. "But promise not to say anything!" Her eyes immediately darted to Wakka. He glowered at her angrily. "No glaring, either!" she protested. "I know where we are. We're on Bikanel Island. There's a place us Al Bhed call Home near here. Yunie's there, I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed would've come and rescued her."

"Rescued?" Wakka retorted angrily. "Don't you mean _kidnapped_?" Why did he feel the need to argue with her at every turn? He knew – he _knew_ – that it wasn't helping anything. But she had hurt him _deeply_, and he wanted to make sure that she felt his pain tenfold.

Rikku wished she could make him understand that she was hurting as much – if not more so – than he was. She was really sad about the way things had worked out. She wanted her friend back, and more than that, she wanted the _possibilities_ of what they could have been back.

"Oh," Tidus groaned in exasperation. "Wakka, what does it _matter_ as long as Yuna's safe?"

Rikku nodded emphatically. "That's right! And I'll take you there if you _promise_ not to tell anyone about it. _Especially _not Yevonites. You know they don't like us – who knows what they'd do if they knew …"

"Oh, gimme a _break_!" Wakka shouted. "What are you accusing Yevon of _this_ time, Rikku, huh? Plagues? Fires?"

"Yevon did something really bad to us before," Rikku said in a small voice. She _refused_ to let him break her.

"Well, you Al Bhed must've deserved it, like you always do!" Wakka retorted.

"What makes you think you're so much better than me, Wakka?" Rikku exclaimed. "Just because you're Mr. Holier-Than-Thou Yevonite does _not_ give you the right to decide which race gets special treatment and which race gets _crapped _on!"

"Aaaaargh!" Tidus cried out. "Can you guys talk about this later? We _do _have a summoner to find!"

"Just promise you won't tell anyone about this island," Rikku pleaded, her eyes begging each and every one of them.

If Wakka wasn't mistaken, she held eye contact with him a little bit longer than she did with anyone else.

"Wakka, come _on_!" Tidus yelled.

"All right, all right, I promise!" Wakka said with resignation. "Lead the way."

Rikku nodded. "You got it!" The Al Bhed led the group through the desert swiftly and deftly. "It's just over this sand dune up here," she told them after about two hours. She could tell that they were fading quickly – not being used to the desert could make the trip through Bikanel _hellish_.

Smiling to herself, she crested the hill.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah_!" Her scream was deafening, shrill, heart-breaking.

Tidus reached her side first. "Rikku?" he said.

Rikku's hands were covering her mouth and nose and she was shaking her head violently. "No, no, no, no, no!" she whispered over and over again.

The others quickly joined them at the hilltop, shock and horror written all over their faces. "What?" Wakka exclaimed. "Yuna's down _there_?"

Lulu shook her head. "Let's go."

The guardians raced down into the midst of the fighting. They ran past several Al Bhed soldiers. "Where's Yuna?" Wakka demanded.

A young Al Bhed fell over just a few feet in front of them. "Keyakku!" Rikku screamed, running to his side. She dropped to her knees beside him and cradled his head in her arms. "Keyakku, Keyakku," she murmured softly, her tears mingling with his blood. "Who's attacking us? Fru tet drec du oui?"

"Yevon …" the young man choked out. "Guado … Sorry … Rikku …" He sputtered and coughed a little and then went limp in Rikku's hands.

Rikku shook her head, her tears falling freely now. "Keyakku? Keyakku!"

Wakka felt like _he'd_ been shot. Everywhere, Al Bhed were falling, and bleeding, and screaming. And at his feet, the little one who mattered the most was sobbing her heart out. He'd been an idiot … but what could he do now?

All of a sudden a bald man approached them. "Rikku?" he said.

"Vydran!" Rikku jumped up and into his arms.

He hugged her quickly, and then knelt to check Keyakku's pulse. He stood and shook his head. "The Guado have come for the summoner … they're tearin' this place apart." He looked at the people that stood behind Rikku. "You Rikku's friends? Well, don't just stand there! Let's kick these Guado outta our Home!"

Everyone followed the man inside, but Tidus and Rikku hung back. "Who's that?" Tidus asked her.

"Cid. The leader of the Al Bhed. He's my dad," Rikku said softly.

"Let's go," Tidus said gently.

"Right. We have to save Yunie," Rikku said.

"Not just Yuna," Tidus told her.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks," she breathed, following him inside.

"Yuna! Where are you?" Wakka was calling. The group was ambushed by fiends and they made short work of dispatching them. "What in Yevon's name are those Guado thinking?" Wakka asked after one such fight.

Rikku, standing next to him, just shook her head. _Do you see now, Wakka?_ she wondered. _Do you understand? _"This is terrible!" was all she said.

They ran into the next section of Home, and Cid's voice came blaring over the intercom. He yelled in Al Bhed and Rikku's throat closed up.

"Oh no," she murmured.

"What'd he say?" Wakka asked.

"We have to get underground!" Rikku told them.

"Where's Yuna?" Auron asked sharply.

"The Summoner's Sanctum – this way!" Rikku led them through a maze of tunnels and down a flight of stairs. "It's over here."

She led them through a mechanized door. The next room was in ruins. The walls were on fire, fiends and Guado were everywhere. There were dead Al Bhed no matter where they turned.

"This place done for," Wakka said carefully. The last thing he wanted at this point was to upset her even more. He'd done enough of that.

Rikku just looked up at him, tears brimming in those emerald pools of hers. "You're right," she said sadly. "You're right, Wakka." Putting her face in her hands she kicked the nearest wall and cried out. "Aaah, this really _sucks_! We Al Bhed, we weren't always like this," she explained. "Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. We were all scattered, all across Spira. But then my dad, Cid, he brought us back together again when he built this place." She looked around her surroundings sadly. "Everyone worked _so hard_ building this place. We had our Home back. But now – Why did things have to turn out this way?"

Wakka turned to her. At this point, he would have told Yevon to go take a flying leap. He didn't care about anything right now – except _her_. And she was hurting.

"Rikku …" he said quietly. He put his arms around her and was somewhat shocked when she allowed him to hold her. "Damn those Guado," he said forcefully, stroking Rikku's hair and rubbing small circles on her back. "What are they thinking?"

The group just stood silently for a moment, allowing Rikku to cry a little.

"Rikku," Lulu said gently. "What's the Summoner's Sanctum?"

Rikku pulled away from Wakka's strong embrace and looked at the mage. "It's where we keep the summoners. We keep them safe there."

"You _do _kidnap them," Wakka said, but there was no contempt in his voice.

"I know it's against the teachings and all …" Rikku began slowly.

"I get why you did it," Wakka told her. "But …"

"Well, _I_ don't get it!" Tidus shouted. Now it was _his _turn to be angry. "I mean, they might get hurt on their pilgrimage, so you kidnap them? If guardians do their job, the summoners will be safe, right? Right?"

Nobody said anything for a long time; they all just looked at the boy from Zanarkand sorrowfully. Nobody wanted to be the one to tell him the awful truth.

"It's quiet, Kimahri go now," the Ronso finally said. Everyone followed him down the final flight of stairs and through the last door.

Inside the Sanctum, the summoners Dona and Isaaru sat. Dona stood when the group entered. "Yuna's not here," she said. "Hello again. Wait there until we've performed the sending."

The two summoners performed the dance, and then Pacce, one of Isaaru's brothers and guardians, came up beside Tidus. "What's 'sacrificed' mean?" he asked. "I heard the Al Bhed say that summoners were being sacrificed."

Tidus looked back at the group, accusation in his eyes. "Why couldn't the Al Bhed trust the guardians to protect the summoners? You had no right stopping their pilgrimages …"

"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Rikku cried out, suddenly not wanting to lie any more. There should be no more lies – it only caused trouble. Tidus had a _right_ to know that Yuna was going to die. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand … I mean, Yunie could defeat Sin, but then … Yunie will _die_, you know?" Rikku fell to her knees in despair. Wakka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Tidus asked, dumbfounded.

"You _know_, right?" Rikku asked, begging him to know so that she didn't have to say it out loud. "Yuna told you, didn't she? Summoners journey to get the Final Aeon – and with it, Yuna can defeat Sin. But if she calls it – the Final Aeon will kill her too!"

Wakka pulled her up off the floor and back into his arms. Rikku watched, tears streaming down her face, as Tidus sank to his knees. "Was I the only one who didn't know?" he asked, his voice broken and detached. "Why didn't I know?"

"We weren't hiding it," Wakka said calmly.

"It was just too hard to say," Lulu finished.

"I've been telling Yuna … Let's go to Zanarkand. I told her all the things that we could … we could …" Tidus felt like he was about to cry, but this time, he didn't care. "I can't let her die! I'll find her, and I'll find a way!"

Cid's voice came over the intercom again. The group ran up a narrow flight of stairs into what appeared to be another room. "We have _no time_!" he yelled. "Ku, ku, ku!"

Everyone congregated in a large room full of machines and sphere screens. Tidus and Cid were having a heated argument, one that ended with Tidus promising to do everything in his power to keep Yuna alive.

"You better remember those words, boy," Cid said warningly. "Now, we just have to go find her. Using this airship!"

"Airship?" Wakka asked, eyes wide. The room began to shake, and Wakka knew that Cid had not been lying. The airship took off and began its ascent slowly.

"Next, we use that!" Cid said, pointing to something that only the pilot could see.

The pilot, Rikku's brother, said something quietly and then began singing the Hymn of the Fayth. Cid joined in, and Rikku began crying. Wakka looked at her, concerned. "What's goin' on?" he asked her.

"We're … we're gonna blow up our home," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Cid ordered the Al Bhed sitting next to Brother to fire. There was a loud explosion and an intensely bright burst of light, and the airship sped up to escape the blast. Brother began to cry softly, and Cid went to comfort him.

Rikku sat at the back end of the bridge, her knees tucked up underneath her, head in her hands. Wakka went to sit in front of her. "Hey," he said quietly.

She looked up at him, her face tearstained.

"Don't get so down, huh? Boom! Like happy festival fireworks, ya?" Wakka said cheerfully, smiling, hoping to make her do the same.

Instead, she glared at him, venom in her gaze. She jumped up. "You can _cram_ your happy festival, you big meanie!" she cried, turning and running from the bridge.

Wakka sighed sadly and shook his head. "Dammit … that sounded _so good_ in my head," he muttered to himself.

Behind him, Lulu exhaled noisily. "Wakka!" she cried in exasperation. He looked up at her. "Honestly. That's the _best _you could do?" She gave him a pointed glare. "You better go do damage control. And whatever you do, _don't_ mention fireworks or happy festivals, okay?"

Wakka stood up. Lu was right. He had to make this right – he had to make all of this right. He couldn't give her back her Home; no more than _she_ could give him back his shaken faith. But he could offer her a shoulder to cry on, and arms that would hold her like they never wanted to let go. He could lend her some of his strength to help her get through this. He could love her.

All he had to offer her was an apology – and his heart. He only hoped that would be enough.


	8. Chapter 7: Angels

**A/N: Well, there's no Al Bhed in this chap, so no translations needed! It's not quite as long as the last one was, but I think you guys will find this chapter to your satisfaction So enjoy! As always, review so I know if I'm doing good! XD Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, you guys ROCK! Oh, yeah, while I don't think that this chap is bad AT ALL there are some bits and pieces that may not be appropriate for young 'uns you know who you are. lol If you are easily offended, then click the back button. For the rest of you, enjoy this lovely fluff-filled chapter! XD**

**Chapter Seven  
****Angels**

He found her on the deck, against the side of the airship, her knees tucked up to her chin. Her head was down, forehead resting on her knees, and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Her shoulders were shaking, and he knew that she was crying

"Rikku." His normally gruff voice was tinged with a hint of sympathy.

Rikku's head shot up, her tears leaving white trails down her dirty face. "Sir Auron!" she cried. "What – what are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were all right," he told her. "Are you?"

Rikku nodded. Then she shook her head. "I – I will be. But it's too soon right now, you know?" Sadly, she looked up at the older guardian. "I – I'm sorry. I feel like everything is my fault!"

"Well, it isn't."

She looked away from Auron. "Thanks, for coming to check on me." She managed a small smile, but there was no enthusiasm behind it.

"You've suffered much for one so young," Auron said, deep in thought. "I wish there was a way to make this easier on you."

"I feel so bad making a big deal out of this, when we have other things to worry about!" Rikku confessed. "I mean, we don't know where Yunie is …"

"But you lost your home today, Rikku," Auron said kindly. "There is no shame in grieving over it. And as for Yuna … we'll find her."

Rikku nodded. "You're right. How do you always stay so calm?"

Auron chuckled a bit. "If this is what you consider calm."

Rikku stood up. "It is – you and Lulu _both_ do it. Like, you're just detached from human emotion or something. But I guess I understand. Once you lose people who are precious to you, it kind of doesn't matter any more."

Auron looked at her. She was perceptive – more so than one would be led to believe. But she was also naïve, and young, and she often missed what was right in front of her face. "What of you?" he asked her. "Did you not lose your mother?"

"I was only two – I barely remember her," Rikku said, taking a deep breath. "Sometimes I wish I could, though. Her name was Cassia – pretty, huh? I'll name my first daughter that." Her green eyes got a faraway look to them. "Cassia Yuna … that is, _if_ the rest of us make it back."

"You will," Auron said with certainty.

She smiled sadly. "How do you know that, huh?"

"Perhaps I've seen it," he told her, amusement twinkling in his good eye.

"Well, if you can tell the future, I'd love for you to share it with me!" she laughed.

"Life should hold some surprises," he told her. "And, trust me, yours will." He turned to leave, and then turned back. "Rikku …" he said.

"Hmm?" she murmured, staring out at the sunset.

"If you ever need to talk, I promise to listen – and I don't interrupt."

Rikku turned and smiled. "Thanks."

The _whoosh_ing sound of the door told her that Sir Auron was gone. Slowly, she walked to the end of the deck and stared out at the vast expanse of sky. It amazed her that they could be flying so high that even the clouds were below them.

The sunset light had turned the sky all different shades of the rainbow – pink and orange directly in front, and purple and blue behind. _So my life will be full of surprises, huh? I wonder what?_

She didn't have to wait long, for the _whoosh_ing sound came again, and she turned to see who was joining her now.

_Wakka_.

He had a pained expression on his face as he crossed the deck toward her. Rikku held up her hand to stop him when he had gotten halfway. "Stop," she said. "Don't talk." His expression was confused, but he obliged.

Slowly, she brushed her bangs off of her forehead and then smiled ever so slightly. "Did you come to try and cheer me up again?" she said dryly.

Wakka shook his head. "No – I came to apologize, ya?"

"I told you, don't talk," Rikku said firmly. "Let me say this."

Biting her lower lip, she looked down. The only thing she wanted in the world right now was to forget everything that had happened today, but she couldn't. Perhaps, she could explain it to him. Perhaps he would understand.

Perhaps he'd want to help her forget.

Taking a deep breath, she began. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about me. I'm sorry that I yelled at you and called you names. I'm sorry that I can't make you understand that no matter what you say to me, I won't feel any differently about my race. I'm sorry that you feel like I'm not good enough for you now." Rikku saw that Wakka wanted to speak, but she shook her head.

"Keyakku, that boy back at Home?" Rikku began. Wakka nodded. "Keyakku was, well, I guess he was my _boyfriend_ for awhile – about a year ago. It was after the mission at Djose, after your brother … after Chappu died. Well, that really got to me, you know? I was only fourteen, and it wasn't like it was just _death_, this was death of a _friend_. And it bothered me that there was so much that he wanted to say to you and to Lulu and he never got to, and I had nightmares about it for weeks."

"What does that have to do with Keyakku?" Wakka asked.

Rikku looked at him. "I'm getting there," she said impatiently. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

Wakka nodded. "Sorry, continue."

"Anyway – that was the first time I'd had any kind of real experience with death, and afterward, you know, I didn't even get rid of the shirt that I was wearing. It was still at Home, and still stained. I guess – I guess I felt like if I threw it away, I'd be throwing Chappu away too, and I didn't want to do that. He was _nice_ to me, and the first Yevonite who didn't judge me. So I kept it." She looked up at Wakka. "After we got back from Djose, I did some stupid things. Instead of telling people that I was in _pain_, I just started _causing_ it. I started to dismantle things, started to steal things. It wasn't because _I _needed the things, because Pops always provided us with a lot, I just, I wanted to hurt other people, because I was hurting, I guess."

Wakka nodded knowingly. "So that's why you're so good at that."

She shrugged. "I never knew it would actually come in handy someday. I'm not _proud_, but I guess it's okay when it's just fiends. Anyhow, Keyakku caught me once, trying to steal from his room at Home. Instead of getting mad, though, he just sat me down and made me talk to him. And I did – I told him everything, and I cried my eyes out to him that night. He's the reason I decided to start saving summoners – because it gave me something productive to do with my time."

"He sounds like he was a good friend," Wakka told her gently.

"He – he was more than a good friend." Closing her eyes, she counted to ten before continuing. "He was also – well, he was my _first_." She dared to open her eyes and saw that Wakka was looking at her, dumbfounded.

Wakka hissed. "Ooh, boy," he said quietly.

Rikku placed her hands on her hips and looked at him defiantly. "That wasn't the point of this conversation that you need to be dwelling on! I didn't _tell_ you this so you'd have something else to judge me about! You know that Yevonites live in fear of Sin and death – but the Al Bhed, we have it even worse. Because it's not _just_ Sin out to get us! We have to take advantage of whatever time we have on Spira – because we never know when it'll all be over. You see, Sin didn't kill Keyakku – _Yevon_ did. Do you understand?"

Wakka put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed just enough to get her attention. "Rikku, Rikku, hey, calm down, ya? I'm not judgin' you, okay?" He exhaled. "I'm through with that, all right?"

She stepped away from his grasp and turned away. Looking out over the darkening sky, she took a deep breath. "Are you? Because at this point, you guys are all I have – and _you_ were the most important of all. I'm sorry I hurt you – but you hurt me too, you know."

"I know, I know," he said, shaking his head. "And I came to apologize, ya?"

"Apologize?" Rikku sighed. "If you _really _want to apologize, there is something …"

"Huh?" Wakka asked.

She looked over her shoulder at him, his expression bewildered, his brow furrowed. Turning, she stepped toward him. "_Help me forget_," she said in a low, steady voice. Her eyes had a strange light to them, the likes of which had never been directed at Wakka.

"What do you want me to do?" Wakka asked. "Look, Rikku, I've been an idiot, whatever it takes to make this up to you …"

Rikku stood in front of him now, looking up at him and smiling a little. She ever so lightly caressed the exposed flesh of his well-muscled torso with her fingertips. He sucked in his breath.

"Kiss me," she whispered. Wakka gulped audibly, and Rikku giggled a little. "Wakka ..."

"Rikku …" he began.

She wrapped her arms around his midsection and looked up at him hopefully. Her eyes were vivid and bright, burning almost, and there was a soft smile on her lips. "Kiss me or I'm gonna kiss you," she told him in a teasing voice. Still too nervous to move, Wakka just stood there, baffled by what was going on. Was he dreaming? Rikku smiled again, the dimple in her left cheek showing. "Wakka, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, of course," he managed to stammer.

Her grin widened and she unwrapped her arms from around his waist. Standing on her tiptoes, she placed her hands on his shoulders and barely brushed his lips with her own. She pulled away and searched his face. "Was that so bad?" she asked him, a smirk on her face and mischief sparking in her eyes.

She was _teasing_ him, he decided, treating him like some naïve young kid. _Well_, he thought to himself, _I'll show _her_, ya?_ She started to back away from him, but he grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her back. He searched her face for a split second before crushing his mouth down on hers.

Rikku's eyes widened a bit from the initial shock, but as the kiss deepened, she closed her eyes to the sweet sensation filling her. She parted her lips slightly and ran the tip of her tongue across his lips. He trembled and pulled her closer to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. The kiss grew hungrier and more intense until finally Wakka pulled away.

Rikku searched his eyes for any sign of – well, _anything_. "Wakka …" she said, her breathing ragged and shallow. He just stared at her as if he had never seen her before. "Come with me," she whispered.

His vision seemed to clear, and he looked at her warily. "Why?"

"Because … I don't want to be alone," she told him honestly. She took his hand and led him off the deck and into the airship. Making sure that no one was lingering in the hallways, she led him down the corridor and into her cabin.

He looked around as the door shut behind them. "Uh, Rikku …" he began.

"Shh," she told him, pressing her index finger to his lips. "It's okay," she said. "I just want you here with me, okay?"

Wakka nodded. He supposed that would be okay. He owed her that much, didn't he? After all his pigheaded stubbornness … it was the least he could do.

Rikku sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked up at him expectantly. When he didn't make a move, she sighed and motioned for him to sit. "I won't bite," she said. "Unless you ask me to," she added slyly.

"Rikku," he said sternly.

She rolled her eyes. "All right, all right." She held up her right hand. "I swear to behave myself," she said, lowering her voice to make it sound serious and solemn.

Wakka laughed in spite of himself, and went to sit beside her. Rikku smiled up at him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Now, is this so bad?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he confessed. She smiled, satisfied with the answer for now.

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, and finally, Rikku spoke. "Wakka," she said slowly.

"Yeah?" he said, his eyelids drooping. He was exhausted after the long day they had had. Maybe she was going to tell him that she wanted to sleep.

"Do you think you might want to kiss me again?"

His eyelids flew open at that. "_What_?" he choked, looking at her.

Rikku, grinning in triumph, quickly took advantage of the situation by capturing his mouth with her own as soon as he turned to her. He made a noise of protest, but soon discovered the benefits of going along with her.

The kisses quickly grew more intense and passionate, and Wakka knew that soon they were going to pass the point of no return. Did she realize it as well? She must have, yet she still kept urging him on.

"Rikku?" he said quizzically.

In answer, she pulled off his vest and ran her dainty hands along his flesh. "Yes, Wakka?" she finally said.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

The look in her eyes was not one that could be mistaken. Silently, she got up from the bed and stood before him. She didn't take her eyes off of his as she unbuckled the clasps on her shirt and slid it off over her head. She tossed the garment into the corner of the room and lowered herself onto Wakka's lap, pressing her lips against his hungrily, guiding his hands along her body, and letting him know without words all he needed to know.

He knew that everything was about to change, and he didn't care. Wrong or right, it didn't matter. All that mattered tonight was Rikku. Hell, maybe she was all that mattered _period_.

He could take whatever came at him now – if _she _could forgive him, and come to him in this way, then there was _nothing_ that he couldn't do.

Rikku didn't care about anything at that point – her mind was filled with Wakka, and that was all that mattered – as long as he was there, she wouldn't have to face the reality of what was going on all around her.

For tonight, at least, she could be free.


	9. Chapter 8: How You Remind Me

**A/N: Here it is, the much anticipated "morning after" chap ... Enjoy and REVIEW! Rhianna XD**

**Chapter Eight  
****How You Remind Me**

**Part One**

When he woke up, several hours later, he wasn't sure where he was. Frowning, he sat up and looked around the darkened cabin. A tiny giggle came from the other side of the room, and a light was flicked on.

"Hey, you," she said softly from her position in the overstuffed chair in the corner. "Sleep well?"

Grinning like a schoolboy and scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, ya, I did," he said sheepishly, looking at her. Yevon, she was beautiful.

"I gathered that from the snoring," she teased lightly.

"Did you sleep?" he asked her, concerned, suddenly remembering what had led them _here_ in the first place.

She smiled sadly. "A little. I had a lot of thinking to do, you know? And I usually think best late at night, when everyone else is sleeping." She shrugged and slid off the chair.

She was fully dressed, seemingly ready for the day. "What time is it?" he asked her.

"Almost seven," she told him.

"Seven? Seven in the _morning_? Why didn't you wake me up sooner, huh?" Wakka was wide-awake now.

She smiled at him. "You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you," she said with a shrug.

"Well, c'mon," he urged her. "We have to go! We still have to find Yuna!" He bounded out of the bed. Rikku's eyes widened, and then she laughed.

She held out his clothes to him. "You might want these," she said with a grin.

Blushing furiously, he reached out and grabbed his pants from her. Once he was dressed, he began pushing her out the door. "Let's go, go, go!" he urged.

Rikku giggled and shook her head. "I'll go first, and make sure that the coast is clear. And then you can follow, in about ten minutes or so. We can't make it obvious."

Wakka paused. "What? Rikku, what's going on here?"

Rikku bit her lower lip and looked down. "Well, Wakka, it's just that – last night was fun, right?" Wakka nodded, uncertain where she was going. "So, let's just leave it at that, okay? I mean, I was in a bad place, and you helped me forget about it, you know? And it means a lot to me, it really does. But we don't need to tell _everyone_ and make a big deal out of it, do we? It was just this one time, any way." She smiled at him hopefully. "You understand, don't you? We've got so much _other_ stuff to deal with that we really don't need to complicate matters by telling everybody about last night, do we?" As she stood before him, her green eyes beseeching him, a small smile on her lips, he knew that he could deny her nothing.

"'Course I understand, Rikku," he said jovially, kissing her on the forehead in a very chaste manner.

And even though it was killing him, the bright smile she gave him made it all worthwhile.

"Oh, good!" she breathed. "I was so worried that things were gonna get weird! But I should have known better, I mean, it's _you_!" She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a sound, but platonic, kiss on the lips. "You're the best!" she said in sing-song as she bounded out of the room.

Wakka watched her go and sighed to himself once the door was shut. He felt as if the wind had completely been taken from his sails. He had thought that last night had been the _beginning _of something – something that he was excited about and ready to face, head-on. But there Rikku had been, telling him that it had been "this one time only" – and asking him to _accept _that! It was almost laughable, and he supposed he should have seen it coming. She _was_ an Al Bhed, and they did things differently.

But _he_ was a Yevonite. And what they had done last night – he took it _very seriously_. So seriously, in fact, that she had been his first, and that was because he thought there was potential for a real future with Rikku. How wrong he had been.

He felt like kicking himself for being so stupid. He had let blonde hair and golden skin and green eyes and long legs completely override everything that he knew and believed in his heart. His body had betrayed his heart, and yet, even as he thought that, he realized that he was even more dismayed about the fact that he _couldn't have her again_.

He, Wakka, who had been so devout for so long, had allowed himself to give into fleshly pleasure, and he had _enjoyed _it. Not just because it was sex, but because it was sex with _Rikku_. He wanted _her_, not just _sex_.

But there was more to it than that. Yes, he wanted her, and yes, she was damned _beautiful_, but she was also clever and witty and outrageous – she was the kind of person who lit up a room just by walking into it. She was Rikku of the bubbly laugh and the irrepressible charm. Rikku who could rob you blind in three seconds flat … Rikku who could steal your heart in less than that.

The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. "Dammit," he cursed under his breath as he let the gravity of the situation sink in.

_He loved her_.

Sitting in _her _cabin was driving him crazy, so he decided he would go back to his own cabin. He managed to figure out the keypad to open the door, all the while cursing the machina in his head, and stepped out into the empty hallway.

Or so he thought.

"Wakka." The gruff voice caused Wakka to flinch before turning around.

"Oh, hey, Sir Auron," he said casually.

"Isn't that Rikku's cabin?" Sir Auron asked, searching the younger man's face.

"Uh, well, yeah …" Wakka stammered, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this one. "I wanted to apologize about yesterday and all dat," he said lamely.

"I see," Auron said gravely. "Didn't you do that when you went up on deck yesterday evening?"

Damn, he'd forgotten that he'd passed Sir Auron in the hallway on his way to see Rikku. "Well, yeah, but I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, ya?"

"Rikku left a few minutes ago," Auron remarked. "I didn't see anyone leave your cabin."

"Uh …"

"Wakka, there comes a point when it is time to give up the charade," Auron said, a warning tone in his voice.

Wakka hung his head. "All right, all right," he said in defeat. "Whatever you're thinkin', you've probably got it right."

"I see," Auron said again, thoughtfully.

"But why does it matter to you?" Wakka challenged. "And what are you doin' lurkin' in the hallways anyway, huh?"

"I came to find you. Tidus and Lulu were concerned," Auron said simply. "And it would appear that Yuna is not the only one on this pilgrimage in need of a guardian."

"What's dat supposed to mean, huh?" Wakka said indignantly. "Not me!"

"No, of _course_ not you," Auron said dryly, and clearly exasperated. He nodded his head in the direction of Rikku's cabin.

"Hey, you don't need to worry about Rikku," Wakka retorted. "I'm looking out for her."

"But who is looking out for _you_?" Auron questioned.

"I can look out for myself, ya?" Wakka said.

"So you would tell me now that you feel nothing for the girl?" Auron remarked suddenly.

"What?" Wakka asked, shocked.

"Wakka, you are a devout man, much as I was at your age. But you're still a _man_, and as such, there are certain things that even the most pious cannot ignore." Auron chuckled a bit. "Rikku seems to embody _all_ of those things, and much more."

Wakka sighed. "You're right," he said in a quiet voice. "And it bothers me that she's an Al Bhed, and I feel bad that it bothers me, ya? How could it ever work? Especially since she told me that it didn't mean anything?"

Auron nodded. "I see. Wakka, Rikku may be a lot of things, but I don't think that she is one to so callously toy with other's emotions. Perhaps she does not feel worthy of you, because you have made it no secret how you feel about the Al Bhed. I'd wager she feels a great deal for you, Wakka."

Wakka snorted. "She was looking for _comfort_ last night. It didn't matter from _who_."

"Strange that you would think that," Auron told him evenly. "But I was up on deck with her, before you, and she made no mention of anything of the sort to _me_."

Wakka stopped and looked at the legendary guardian.

"Girls like Rikku are rare indeed, Wakka. I can think of only one other. Give her time." Auron walked ahead, leaving Wakka alone with his thoughts.

**Part Two**

Rikku bounded onto the airship's bridge and gave everyone a mega-watt grin. "Good morning!" she chirped.

"Why are _you _so cheerful?" Tidus grumbled.

Rikku shrugged. "I dunno. I just have a good feeling about today, that's all," she explained.

"Well, I'm glad that _somebody_ does," Lulu told her, one eyebrow arched. "I take it you are feeling better than you were last night?"

Rikku nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry about all that, by the way," she told the mage. "It was just a lot to digest all at once. But I realize, like Pops said, machina can be rebuilt. There's no use dwelling on things that already happened. You only bring yourself down if you do that. I'm sad about it, but I still have a duty to do for Yuna, and that's what I'm going to focus on now." She walked over to where her father stood and began conversing with him in Al Bhed.

Lulu nodded. The younger girl's resolve was admirable. If only she could have been that together after Chappu died – maybe she wouldn't be where she was today.

"Hey, has anyone seen Wakka?" Tidus asked a few minutes later. "He just disappeared yesterday evening and I haven't seen him since."

Rikku felt her face heating up, and prayed that no one would address her directly.

"Rikku?" Tidus asked.

_Tysh oui …_ "Uh, well, he came to see if I was all right, and to apologize about the firework comment, but after that, I don't know what he did. Maybe he was tired?" she suggested, her voice high and almost squeaky.

Tidus gave her a strange look, but shrugged. "Oh, well. I'm sure he's all right."

Lulu nodded her agreement. "You might not think it about him, but sometimes he does just like to be alone."

The bridge's door _whoosh_ed open, and Sir Auron walked in, followed closely by Wakka. "Oh, there you are!" Lulu said. "We were starting to worry!"

Wakka looked bemused, and he wouldn't meet Rikku's eyes. Rikku wondered if he was mad. Maybe he felt like last night had been a mistake, and that he had lowered himself by being with her. Blinking back tears that were threatening, she sighed.

Wakka was probably used to very devout and good Yevonite girls who thought sex was a highly sacred act, and who waited for _him_ to make the first move. Not heathen Al Bhed girls who found nothing wrong with taking whatever pleasure you could get out of life, before life was over.

She didn't have time to think about it then, because Cid's voice cut into her mind like a jackhammer. "We found Yuna!" he cried out.

"Where is she?" Tidus asked eagerly.

"Bevelle," Cid replied. He yelled to Brother in Al Bhed. "Next stop, Bevelle!"

"How far is Bevelle?" Tidus asked Rikku.

Rikku consulted one of the airship's maps. "About two hours," she told him.

"Two hours?" Tidus exclaimed. "Do you realize what could happen in two hours?" He was upset, his voice was cracking with emotion, and Rikku thought she saw tears glistening in his eyes.

Sighing, she put her arm around his shoulders and held him close. "It's okay, Tidus, really," she said softly. "She'll be all right. We'll find her, and we'll take care of her." _Poor guy_, she thought to herself sadly. She wondered what it felt like to love someone _so_ _much_, that your well-being was connected directly to theirs. She looked up from Tidus and her eyes met Wakka's from across the room.

_Maybe I do know what it feels like_, she thought to herself forlornly. _Too bad I'm not good enough for him._

Wakka had these ideas about what a perfect world would be like – one without Sin, without machina, without loss. Rikku's entire life revolved around those things, no matter how cheerful and happy she might appear to be. She knew that she didn't belong in Wakka's world; there was no place for her there.

Well, at least she had the memory of last night to carry with her – the most perfect night of her imperfect life.

**Part Three**

Wakka watched her console Tidus, and he felt a pang – jealousy, maybe? But that was ridiculous. She was just being a good friend, just helping him out. It was what she _did_. If you were feeling sad, or down, or lonely, she was always the first one there to lift you back up.

At least, she was for him. He couldn't imagine making this journey without her. They would all be a jumbled mess of sadness and melancholy and bitterness. But she brought with her sweetness, optimism, and joy. She made bad things seem okay, turned scary things into jokes, and was an absolute darling.

No wonder he was in love with her. Too bad that very same vigor and zest for life would keep her from ever feeling the same toward him.

"Give her time," Sir Auron had said, but Wakka wasn't really sure what the older man had meant by that. How _much_ time? And time for _what_, exactly?

Time wasn't something they had a lot of. The only guardian Wakka had ever heard of making it back from defeating Sin was Sir Auron himself – who knew what happened to the others? He could only assume they all perished.

He hoped that his story would have a resolution before time ran out.

Some time later, Cid announced that they were near Bevelle. "You all need to get up on deck," he told them.

"What for?" Wakka challenged.

"Seems we've been expected," was the only explanation Cid would give.

The group ran up the stairs.

"Whoa, what is _that_?" Tidus exclaimed, pointing out the window at a giant dragon-like creature.

"It's Bevelle's guardian, the great wyrm, Evrae," Lulu told him.

Sir Auron chuckled. "The red carpet has teeth."

Rikku's eyes widened as she looked at the group. "I guess we have no choice, huh?" Her eyes lingered on Wakka a bit longer than the rest, but no one seemed to notice. She tried not to let it bug her that Wakka hadn't spoken to her at all since she had left the cabin earlier that morning. Last night had changed things, and she guessed she was just going to have to accept that they okay, that _she_ had made a mistake.

"You still have plenty of the potions from the desert, right?" Auron asked her. Without Yuna, the group found that they depended on Rikku a lot more for healing.

Rikku sat down on the floor and dug into her pack. "Yep! I've got _tons_," she said after a few minutes of digging. She held up one of the vials of green liquid as proof.

"Okay, then," Tidus said. "I guess that means we're ready."

"Ready as we're ever going to be, ya?" Wakka commented.

Rikku held out her hand so that he could help her up, but he apparently didn't see her, because he just walked right on by. Fighting back tears, she pushed herself up and followed the others up to the deck.

She hoped this fight would be over quickly, because her state of mind was not really battle-ready. Oh well, maybe this Evrae-thingy would just _kill_ her, and then she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not Wakka was mad at her any more.

Whoever said _love_ was a wonderful emotion was obviously _not_ a little Al Bhed enamored of a devout Yevonite.

_Kill me quick, Evrae … Kill me quick._


	10. Chapter 9: Save The Day

**A/N: Next chap! XD As always, Read and Review! Reviews make authors VERY HAPPY! XD Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, you guys are great! I'm taking a lot of liberties with this chap, because I really don't want it to just be a play-by-play of the game, because nobody wants to read that. lol Trust me, it is all for the best interest of the story! Enjoy! XD**

**Chapter Nine  
****Save The Day**

**Part One**

Back on _terra firma_, and seriously hurting from that last struggle with Mr. Big-and-Nasty-Wyrm, Rikku was worn out, and a little fuzzy-minded from the poison that the dragon had so generously bestowed upon her. Pausing for a moment to imbibe an Al Bhed potion, she looked at the rest of the party and assessed the damage total.

Tidus had a nasty gash on his forehead from where Evrae had knocked him to the deck, and so Rikku drew upon her meager mana stash to cast a quick Cure spell one that Yuna had taught her upon his wound. He grinned at her in tired thanks, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Sir Auron seemed no worse for the wear, so she moved on to Lulu, who was gasping with pain and propping herself up on Wakka's shoulder. "Lulu, are you all right?" Rikku asked gently.

Lulu managed a small but unconvincing nod. Rikku shook her head and handed her a Hi-Potion from her pack. "Drink," she said in a no-nonsense voice. The mage obliged and instantly righted herself.

Rikku looked at Wakka, who seemed to be all right, but she asked any way. "Wakka?"

He looked at her, or rather, looked _through _her. He didn't seem to really care what she had to say. "I'm _fine_, ya?" he all but growled.

Rikku gave a single nod of her head and looked toward the other end of the Highbridge. "Yunie!" she gasped.

Yuna and Lord Seymour, decked out in complete wedding regalia, were walking up the steps toward Maester Mika. "What is goin' on?" Wakka asked. "What's with the fancy clothes?"

Lulu shook her head. "It's called a wedding dress," she said dryly.

"_What_?" Wakka exploded. "Well, what are we standing here for, huh? Let's move!"

"Yuna!" Tidus called out, leading the charge toward her.

"That is _enough_!" a voice called out. It was that of Maester Kinoc, who motioned with his hand for the Bevellian guards to advance upon the group of guardians.

"Son of a …" Rikku muttered under her breath.

"Bitch." Without realizing or intending to, Wakka finished her sentence.

The barrels of at least a dozen rifles trained on the group. They looked at each other with unease. Yuna, however, had been awaiting an opportunity such as this, and produced her stave from behind her back.

She began the dance of the sending, and pyreflies began swirling around Lord Seymour. "Lady Yuna," Seymour said menacingly. "You would play at marriage for a chance to send me?"

Yuna held her head high and stared the evil maester coolly in the eye. "You play at marriage for a chance to _use_ me, do you not?" she countered. Rikku had never known her cousin to have such an undercurrent of raw emotion coursing through her. She couldn't help but be proud of the summoner.

Kinoc shoved the barrel of a gun into Tidus' face at Seymour's command. "Do you not value your friends' lives?" Seymour said evenly. "Spare me, and protect them. Send me, and throw them away."

Head still high, gaze unwavering, Yuna released her grasp on the rod. "Wise choice," Seymour told her, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning in to kiss her.

Rikku noticed that Yuna's hands balled up into fists and her expression was one of pure revulsion. The bells of the Palace of St. Bevelle began to chime, and the crowd cheered for what they assumed was a cheerful occasion.

Lord Seymour broke the kiss and looked to the guards. "Kill them," he said firmly.

Yuna gasped. "No!" she cried as a guard hit Sir Auron over the head with the butt of his rifle. "Let them go … Or else." Her voice was steely and cold. She backed away from the group, toward the balcony.

"Yuna, no!" Kimahri cried out. It was obvious what the summoner's intentions were, and he would be damned if he was going to allow it.

"Go! Leave now!" Yuna ordered her guardians.

"If you fall, you'll die," Seymour said, but he held up his hand, ordering the guards to lower their weapons.

Glaring, Yuna wiped her lips with the back of her hand, as if Seymour had left a bad taste in her mouth. "Don't worry." She smiled serenely at her friends. "I can fly. Believe." She stepped off the balcony, and began her free-fall.

Tidus started to run to her, but Kimahri held him back. "Yuna said leave, we leave!" he roared.

"Cover your eyes!" Rikku cried out. She threw a grenade, and shoved the closest person to her – Wakka – in the other direction. "Run!"

There was a blinding flash and an explosion.

"Break through!" Sir Auron yelled. Rikku followed behind him closely, praying that the others were behind them.

"What was _that_?" Wakka asked her a little while later, forgetting his vow of silence for a moment.

Rikku blew her sweaty bangs out of her forehead and tried to look nonchalant, when really, her heart was soaring. _He talked to me! He actually addressed me first! _"A flash bomb," she explained. "Pretty useful in these kinds of situations." She flashed a quick grin and then started running again.

After what seemed like _miles_ of running to Rikku, they reached the front of a building. "Where's Yunie?" she demanded.

"Where else?" Lulu asked.

"The Chamber of the Fayth!" Tidus exclaimed. "Let's go!"

The group entered the temple, and found themselves at the top of an extremely long and winding staircase. Rikku frowned and walked over to what looked like an energy panel. "Strange," she muttered to herself as she began entering different combinations onto the keypad. "This is a _Yevonite_ temple, right?"

Suddenly the machina gave a lurch and the stairs seemed to disappear one by one, starting from the bottom on up, until there was a single sliding platform at their feet. "What's a _machina_ doin' in the temple?" Wakka spat.

"It's probably pretty handy," Rikku supplied brightly.

"No, Rikku, the _teachings_!" Wakka cried. "Machina – they're _forbidden_ by Yevon, ya? So what are they doin' here?"

Rikku shrugged, her expression pained by Wakka's sharp tone. Here, things had seemed to be okay … _Wrong again, Rikku_.

"Oh, who cares?" Tidus cried, stepping onto the platform. Rikku smiled her thanks at him and joined him. The rest of the group was quick to follow, even Wakka. Rikku avoided looking at him. If he was just going to go back into that whole "Al Bhed are evil, Al Bhed should _burn_" routine, that was just _fine_ with her. Asshole.

They reached the bottom of the interminable staircase a few minutes later, and found that the door was locked by yet another machina. "Another one?" Wakka muttered. "Man oh man."

Rikku walked over and began examining it. "So, this is Yevon's true face," Auron commented. "They betray their own teachings."  
"And after all they did to us …" Wakka began. He tossed his blitzball against the wall angrily, and Rikku jumped. "They treated us like _dirt_."

**Part Two**

Wakka's head hurt. It hurt a _lot_. In the past several hours, so many new developments had come to light, and not one of them did anything to alleviate the uneasiness he had begun to feel in the last week or so.

Everything he had believed in so strongly was crumbling at his feet. Seymour Guado had murdered his _own father_, and wanted to use Yuna to destroy Spira. The Maesters of Yevon were _unsent_. Spira was nothing but an endless spiral of death and destruction.

And now, he and everyone he cared about in the world had been sentenced to die down here in this watery tomb. It didn't make sense to him. He had walked the path of righteousness his entire life, had never done anything to shame Yevon, the teachings, his family … and now he was to die, for he was now a traitor of his faith.

He didn't know where anyone else was – where was Yuna? The one he was supposed to be guarding, and he had lost her _twice_ now. _Some guardian I am, ya?_ He almost wished that he _wasn't _a blitzball player, and that he _didn't_ have such amazing underwater stamina, because at this point, he really just wanted to die.

He didn't _want_ to leave Yuna behind, but for all he knew, if she'd been thrown in here as well, she was already dead … _No, no, can't think things like dat, eh? Won't do anyone any good …_

He couldn't call out to anyone either – being underwater as he was. He wondered if he should just sit and wait to see if anyone found him. He noted a small air pocket several hundred feet away and swam toward it, hoping to regain enough oxygen to buy himtime to formulate an escape plan.

He was sucking in oxygen when a blonde head popped up next to him in the narrow pocket. Rikku smiled at him uncertainly. "Mind if I borrow some of this?" she asked, her voice small and breathy as she gasped for air.

"No prob," Wakka said easily. "I guess we're in this together, eh?"

Rikku nodded a little. "I guess so." She took several deep breaths to expand her lungs and then went back under the water. She swam in easy circles for a while, searching for any kind of exit.

Wakka watched her surreptitiously, _Why's she have to be so damned pretty?_ And it didn't help that he _knew_ things about her now – things that no one else on the pilgrimage knew. Things that he probably didn't even have a _right_ to know, to be honest. Especially considering the way he'd been treating her lately. Things like the way her skin felt, the way her mouth tasted, the little noises she made in the back of her throat when he kissed her …

He was going to drive himself crazy down here with her if someone _else_ didn't show up soon.

Rikku paused and looked back at Wakka, her expression bemused. He seemed to be watching her, which usually, she might take as a good sign – but after everything that had happened, she didn't know how to take it. Was he scrutinizing her, sizing her up? Was he blaming _her_ for their situation? She wouldn't put it past him, the big meanie.

But what got to her even more was that she couldn't help but to remember things – things that kept creeping into her mind at the most inopportune moments – they were in a dire, life-threatening situation, and yet, she found herself thinking about how sweet and gentle he had been last night – had it really been only _yesterday_? – on the airship … the way he had brushed the hair off her forehead and kissed her so gently, as if he were she were something to savor … The way he had treated her like a priceless treasure, like what they were sharing was completely miraculous … Maybe it _had_ been …

Shaking her head to rid herself of the almost painful memories she looked back at him and gave him a small, sad smile. Too bad the person that she cared about more than she had ever cared about _anyone _before was so far above her. She wasn't good enough for him, and she knew it … but it didn't mean that she couldn't dream.

Just when Rikku was about to abandon all hope, Tidus swam up. If she could have breathed a sigh of relief, she would have. Instead, the three of them swam to the air pocket. There was barely room for the trio to all congregate there at once, but they managed to finagle it long enough to discuss options.

"I think I know the way out!" Tidus told them optimistically. "We gotta find Yuna!"

"Well, we'll follow you, brudda," Wakka told him. Rikku nodded her concurrence.

Tidus led the way through the submerged maze. They had gone around several corners and Tidus was motioning that they were nearly there. Rikku was relieved. She hoped that Yuna and the others were okay, and that they would have also found their way out of the labyrinth.

They rounded one of the final corners, and came face to face with Evrae – at least, it _looked_ like Evrae. Something seemed a little off, though …

Rikku looked at the men on either side of her. From their expressions, she could tell that they had noticed the slight difference too. He seemed to be – sort of _green_. Kind of sickly looking. Shrugging, she motioned that they attack.

Tidus nodded, and even though Wakka looked unsure, he agreed. They swam toward the beast, and Tidus noticed a lever located behind the creature. While Wakka pummeled the dragon with his blitzball and Rikku robbed it, he swam around it, unnoticed, and struck the lever with his sword until it released.

A gate opened, and Tidus swam through it. Seeing the opening, Rikku and Wakka followed. Unfortunately, so did Evrae.

The fiend was unnatural – not that fiends were particularly _natural_ to begin with, but this one seemed to thrive on pain. _What the hell is wrong with this thing?_ Rikku wondered.

Evrae swung his mighty claw at Tidus, and knocked him out. _Cred! Cred!_ Rikku thought frantically, and dug in her pouch for a Phoenix Down. She tossed it in Tidus' direction, but the current of the water and the movement of the monster diverted its course, and the Phoenix Down hit Evrae instead.

Evrae screamed in pain. Rikku's eyes widened. _Zombie! It's a zombie!_ She motioned for Wakka to revive Tidus, and dug around for another Phoenix Down. She found one and was preparing to launch it at the fiend, when its talons reached out and tore through her flesh.

Pain seared through her body and everything began to spin. The world around her turned a putrid shade of chartreuse. She tasted decay and rot, and in desperation to get rid of the taste, she opened her mouth.

Water filled her lungs and she felt like she was drowning, and then the watery world around her faded from her sight.

_Shit! Shit! Rikku!_ He saw her get slashed by Evrae, and he noticed the sickly shade of green that the girl was beginning to take on. Her mouth opened and water entered, he saw her cough, and then pass out. He grabbed the vial out of her hand – a Phoenix Down, and administered it to her, hoping to save her.

Her body spasmed when the liquid touched her skin, and her coloring worsened. _Shit, it's zombie! _he realized. _I just made it worse! Rikku, Rikku, please wake up! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We have to get out of here – we have to find Yuna! She's got the Holy Waters…_His mind was racing, frantically trying to come up with a way to save Rikku.

Tidus had already figured out that Evrae was a zombie, and was launching Phoenix Down after Phoenix Down at the dragon-wyrm. Evrae finally convulsed and exploded into pyreflies. Tidus opened up the next gate with his sword, while Wakka scooped the dying Rikku up into his arms.

The two men swam through the tunnels as quickly as they could until they emerged on the other side. Tidus crawled out of the water, and reached out to take Rikku from Wakka.

Wakka hoisted himself onto the ledge and quickly took Rikku back in his arms. "C'mon, we have to find Yuna!" Wakka cried.

Tidus nodded. "Right!" He looked at Rikku. "Uh, is she okay?"

Wakka shook his head. "No. She's dying."

"Well, can't we give her a potion or something?" Tidus asked, suddenly very concerned.

"Evrae zombified her," Wakka said, practically sprinting down the long hallway. "If we give her a potion, it will _kill_ her, ya?" His voice was more emotional than Tidus had ever heard it before.

"Wakka, it's okay. She'll be all right," Tidus said, trying to be reassuring, even though he wasn't too sure himself. Rikku looked terrible. Her coloring was getting more and more green by the second, and she was barely breathing at all. There was a horrible stench radiating from her body – Tidus could only assume that it was the smell of Death.

"She won't be if we don't find Yuna soon!" Wakka exclaimed.

"But what can _Yuna_ do – if curative spells won't work, and potions won't work …" Tidus began.

"She's got the Holy Waters," Wakka explained. "It's the only thing that can save Rikku. Yevon, I hope we didn't use them all on somethin' stupid."

A light dawned on Tidus' face. "_That's_ what those are for? I heard Sir Auron say that he hoped we never had need of them when he bought them."

Wakka looked at Tidus grimly. "It's gettin' worse. She's barely breathin' now. If anything happens to her …"

Tidus looked at Wakka questioningly. "Wakka?"

"She can't die, all right?" Wakka exclaimed. "I need her to be alive, ya? I don't think I can do this without her."

Tidus understood that Wakka wasn't really talking to _him _any more. He seemed to be praying to whatever higher power was listening to spare Rikku. What confused Tidus the most was that it didn't seem as though Wakka was praying for the life of a _friend_ … It seemed more like he was begging for the life of someone that he …

_Nah. He couldn't possibly – she's Al Bhed! He _hates_ the Al Bhed!_

But the way Wakka carried her, the way he kept looking at her, the way he was so _dead set_ on finding Yuna … Tidus wondered if maybe they had _all_ missed something.

They reached the end of the seemingly infinite hallway, and found the rest of the party. "Oh, thank Yev …" Lulu began, until she saw Rikku. Her red eyes flashed with horror.

"What happened?" Auron exclaimed, his usual indifferent tone replaced by one of extreme anguish when he saw Rikku.

Tidus explained about fighting Evrae again under the water, and that the creature had been a zombie.

Yuna raced forward. "Put her down, Wakka," she said gently. Wakka did what Yuna asked, lying Rikku down gingerly on the stone floor of the corridor. Yuna tried to hide the tears in her eyes as she looked down at her half-dead cousin.

"You have Holy Waters, ya?" Wakka asked, trying hard to keep the fear and emotion out of his voice, afraid that if he said too much, he might break down and cry right then and there.

Yuna looked up at him, her eyes hollow. "We used them all – for customizing," she said softly.

"Dammit!" Wakka cursed, kicking the wall. "Well, do _something_! We can't just let her die!"

"I can do Esuna," Yuna said softly. "It takes a lot of mana, and it's not as effective, but it might keep her alive until we can buy some more supplies."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Wakka cried. "Do it!"

Nodding, Yuna closed her eyes and called upon her magic. A soft orb of bluish-white light formed in the palm of her hand, and she carefully guided it over Rikku's limp body.

Almost immediately, the greenish color left Rikku's skin, and the rancid smell evaporated, but the young Al Bhed did not wake up. "Why didn't she wake up?" Wakka demanded.

"Esuna can only do so much, Wakka," Lulu said gently. "Our main focus now is to get out of Bevelle and find someone to buy supplies from as quickly as possible."

"How much time will Esuna give us?" Tidus asked Yuna.

The summoner took a deep breath. "A day, _maybe_ two, if we're lucky. But we need to go _now_."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," said a menacing voice from behind the group. "But I don't think that will be happening any time soon."

The party turned around and saw Seymour standing behind them, holding the lifeless body of Maester Kinoc before him. "Kinoc!" Auron exclaimed.

"You killed him!" Tidus growled.

"No, I have saved him," Seymour said simply.

"You're nuts!" Tidus cried out.

_This can't be happening! _Wakka thought to himself frantically. _We don't have time to fight him _again_ … Rikku!_

Kimahri, sensing Wakka's distress and also wanting to end this battle quickly, charged at Seymour. He planted his spear squarely into Seymour's chest.

Seymour grimaced slightly. "How unpleasant," he stated. "Very well. I shall grant you your death. You seem to want it so." The party watched in horror as Seymour transformed into a great white creature, clad in purple armor.

"Wakka!" Auron hissed. "Get Rikku out of here! _Now_!" His tone left no room for argument. "Take her back to Macalania – wait for us at the campsite."

"But – but _Yuna_," Wakka stated, clearly torn between what his heart was telling him to do, and his loyalties to his summoner.

"Yuna will be fine, I swear it to you. But if Rikku stays here, like that, I _guarantee_ you that Seymour will end her," Auron told him. "Now, go!"

Wakka didn't need to hear more. Deftly, he scooped up Rikku into his well-muscled arms, and ran as fast as he could for Macalania Woods. As he neared the city gates, he paused and said a prayer for his summoner and her other guardians. He hoped that they would all be together again soon.


	11. Chapter 10: Collide

**Chapter Ten  
****Collide**

**Part One**

They were taking too long.

He had laid Rikku down in the softest grass he could find, and now all he could do was sit and watch her, and pray that she would wake soon.

He hoped the others were okay. He should be with them, protecting Yuna – he was _her _guardian, after all. But lately, it seemed like this little blonde – _this girl_ – was the only thing that mattered in the world. It was wrong, and he knew it, but he didn't fear for Yuna like he feared for Rikku.

Yuna had _so many _people looking out for her, so many people willing to follow her till the end. What did Rikku have? A rootless father, a potentially crazy brother, and herself. Her brave, self-assured, fiercely determined little self. And that was _all_.

She was Al Bhed, and nobody – himself included – would ever have _dreamed_ of putting themselves out on the line for her kind. Before Rikku, he'd thought all Al Bhed were the same, and that they were heathens, monsters, killers. She was none of those things – she was bright, funny, beautiful. And she was dying.

The death of Yuna, he could deal with. He wasn't _happy _about it, not by a long shot, but he had had time to come to grips with the fact that Yuna had chosen the path of the Summoner, and with that fact came certain inevitabilities. But he had _refused_ to believe that she, or _anyone_ else for that matter, would die before they reached Zanarkand. But now, Rikku was at Death's door, and he was absolutely _powerless_ to stop it. He felt as if his insides were being ripped out.

Chances were good that Rikku had never known real, life-altering love. And if that were the case, then she truly _was_ his perfect match. But what chance did a devout Yevonite and an Al Bhed stand? He'd never heard of _anyone_ risking it before.

She shivered violently in her sleep every now and then, and made inhumane noises, and when he reached out to brush her still-damp hair off of her forehead, he noticed that she was burning up with fever. _Shit!_ he thought to himself. Jumping up, he looked around for a stream or pond – any kind of water that he could cool her with.

He heard rushing water not too far off, and quickly scooped up the tiny girl and carried her toward the sound.

She convulsed again in his arms. The sound she made was a cross between a pained whimper and an angry growl. "Shh, Rikku," he told her in a soft voice. "It's okay, ya? I'll make it better, I promise."

"Wakka!" Her voice was pleading. Her eyes didn't open, and she didn't give any indication that she knew he was there. She seemed to be calling out to him from somewhere very far away.

"Rikku, no!" he cried. "Rikku, you gotta stay with me!" He laid her down on the bank of the small stream and dug in his pack for some kind of cloth to make a compress with.

"It hurts," she whispered. "Ed rindc!" He didn't speak Al Bhed, and he didn't know what she was saying. Her eyes flew open, but he knew she was not seeing anything. The emerald spirals that he had gotten so lost in before were now glassy and blind with delirium. "Sysy?" she whispered. "Dyga sa fedr oui! Ed rindc!" She was screaming now, in pain and in plea.

Wakka knew she was ready to go, but he wasn't ready to let her. "Rikku, Rikku," he said over and over again. "Stay with me, ya? Wherever they want you to go, _don't_. We need you here. Yuna needs you. _I_ need you." He tried to keep the emotion out of his voice, but he did a terrible job, and his voice cracked.

Rikku's head turned and she was looking at him – at least, he _thought _she was looking at him. "E's cunno," she said quietly, her eyelids beginning to droop. "E's cu cunno, Yunie. E's cunno, E's cunno."

"No! Rikku, no! Dammit, wake up! C'mon! I don't know what you're sayin', ya? But you gotta wake up!" He was frantically sponging her forehead down, trying to break her fever.

"Wakka … E's cunno. E muja oui." It was the last thing she said before she drifted back into the darkness.

"Rikku! Rikku!" Her fever wasn't going down. All he could do was hold her now, and pray that this wasn't the end.

She had said his name – what had she said after? Why hadn't he paid attention when Tidus tried to teach him Al Bhed? Why had he been so damned stubborn? Now, what could be her last words for him – he would never know what she had said.

Fighting back tears that he was unaccustomed to – he had lost his parents _and_ his brother, and had learned that Yuna was going to sacrifice herself, all with a minimum of tears. It was funny that a person who belonged to a race he _despised_ would be the one to evoke such raw emotion from him.

But then, he'd never been in love before.

He carefully carried her back to the campsite, and set her down gently in the soft grass. He wanted to administer a potion – something, _anything_ – to her, but he knew that he could not.

How long had it been? It seemed like _hours_, but in reality, it may only have been minutes. He sat beside her, holding her hand, brushing her hair off of her scorching forehead. There was nothing he could do now. If Rikku was meant to leave now, then she would leave.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before he heard the rustle of footsteps in the distance. He stood up and went to the small opening of the campsite. Relief flooded his body when he saw the guardians and Yuna – all safe, none looking any worse for wear – approaching.

Yuna entered the campsite first. "How is she?" she asked softly, kneeling beside her cousin.

"Not good," Wakka confessed. "She's got a fever, and – and I think she's delirious. She was speakin' in Al Bhed. She said 'E's cunno' a lot, I don't know what dat means." He was talking quickly, and pacing, and it looked to Lulu that he was fighting off tears.

"It means 'I'm sorry'," Yuna told him gently.

This seemed to strike him, and he sat down on a nearby log and put his head in his hands. "What about 'sysy'?" he ventured, afraid of the answer.

Sir Auron looked at him gravely. "She said that?" Wakka nodded miserably.

"It means 'mama'," Tidus said slowly.

Yuna looked away, blinking back her own tears, trying to remain steady and focused. She cast Esuna again, and then motioned for Tidus to pass her pack to her. "They were expensive, so we could only afford a few Holy Waters," she explained to Wakka. "Hopefully, it will be enough." She looked to Lulu. "Can you hold her head up for me, Lulu?"

Lulu nodded, and began making her way to the Al Bhed, but Wakka stopped her. "I'll do it, ya?" Lulu smiled sadly, but nodded her acquiescence.

Yuna looked up at the blitzballer and gave him an encouraging smile. "Are you okay?" she asked him quietly. He didn't answer, just watched as Yuna administered the sparkling azure liquid to the fading Al Bhed. "I'm going to give her two, just in case. They can take a while to take effect, so don't worry if nothing happens right away."

The group nodded, and Yuna finished the task. She reached out and brushed Rikku's golden bangs off of her forehead. "Her fever has gone down already," she said. "But that would be the Esuna at work, not the Holy Waters."

Wakka didn't let go of Rikku; he just let her head rest in his lap. She looked more peaceful now, and her breathing seemed less ragged. Her body was no longer feverish, and he had to hope that she would be okay in just a few hours.

"Did she say anything else while she was feverish?" Lulu asked some time later.

Wakka looked thoughtful. "Well, she did say something to _me_, but I don't think it was important. Just 'E's cunno' and then … 'E moja wee' or somethin' like that." He shrugged.

Sir Auron's head shot up, as did Tidus'. "E muja oui?" Auron asked gruffly.

"Ya, dat's it!" Wakka said emphatically.

Yuna's eyes had widened, and she turned to Lulu. Lulu didn't speak much Al Bhed, either, so Yuna whispered something in her ear, and Lulu looked shocked.

"Why? Is it bad? Huh?" Wakka looked worried. "Did she curse me or somethin'?"

"Or something," Tidus said softly, faint amusement sparking in his blue eyes.

Auron looked down at the still-sleeping Al Bhed, his brow furrowed. Hallucination or not, what Rikku had said had been very real, and very important. It really wasn't up to the rest of them to tell Wakka. She wouldn't remember anything she said in her state of unconsciousness, and if it was something she _really_ wanted Wakka to know, she would tell him again sometime, so that he would understand what she meant.

A little while later, Wakka finally thought to ask about the fight with Seymour.

"Well, we won, again," Tidus said warily. "But who knows how much good that'll do. I mean, the guy just refuses to _die_."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you guys out, ya?" Wakka said apologetically, but Lulu would hear none of it.

"Not important, Wakka!" she said firmly. "Someone had to be with Rikku, or else Seymour would have killed her. You were very important."

"Yeah!" Tidus piped up without thinking. "I mean, Yuna would have been crushed if something had happened to her cousin!" Too late, he realized what he had said. "I mean …"

Lulu shook her head at the boy. "Too late," she told him.

Yuna bit her lip as she looked to Wakka, wondering how he would take it. "Yuna?" he asked. "Your – cousin?" He looked down at Rikku and then back at Yuna.

Yuna nodded, smiling a little. "Cid is my uncle – my mother's brother," she explained.

"Your mother was Al Bhed?" Wakka asked, looking around the group, bewildered. "So Lord Braska … He married an Al Bhed?" He had stopped looking at the others and was now focused solely on the sleeping girl.

"Yes, Wakka," Sir Auron said, slight amusement in his voice. "The High Summoner married an Al Bhed, and the world didn't come crashing down at his feet. In fact, Braska's wife, Brynna, was much like Rikku."

Yuna looked hopefully at Wakka. "It's true. My father used to tell me stories of how he and my mother met. She worked for Rin, and one day, she happened to be in Macalania Woods, right outside of Bevelle, and my father saw her. She was young, around my age, maybe even a bit younger, and he was a little older than you are now. Anyway, he fell in love with her immediately, and soon after, they got married."

"The Temples didn't like that a young apprentice summoner had married an Al Bhed, so Braska was excommunicated," Sir Auron continued. "But he still continued learning the summoner arts."

"I was born less than a year after they married, and for six years, life seemed wonderful. And then Sin came back." Yuna's eyes grew sad. "Cid had been angry with my mother for marrying a Yevonite, and they had not spoken since. She was on her way to make amends with him when Sin attacked the airship carrying her to Bikanel."

"After that, Braska was bound and determined to defeat Sin, any way he could," Sir Auron explained. "I had recently been excommunicated myself, as you saw in the sphere, and so Braska took me along with him. He wanted to 'stick it to Yevon' as Jecht would have said." The legendary guardian chuckled a bit. "Braska and I found Jecht, the man from Zanarkand, in a Bevellian jail, and we got him out. The rest is history."

It was the most any of them had heard Sir Auron talk about his past, and it fascinated them, even Yuna, who had heard it all before. "And Lord Braska – he defeated Sin, and was celebrated." Wakka seemed deep in thought now. "And now, Yuna …"

Suddenly, the sleeping Al Bhed began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up from her makeshift bed, confusion all over her delicate features. "What – happened?" she muttered, sitting up.

"Rikku!" Wakka breathed, hurrying to her side.

Rikku placed her hand on her head, as if it hurt, but still managed to smile. "Hi, guys!" she said brightly. "What'd I miss?"

**Part Two**

Everyone was looking at her so strangely – as if she had _died_ or something. And Wakka – well, he didn't seem to want to let her out of his sight, even for a minute. It was a far cry from his earlier behavior, that was for sure.

"How are you feeling, Rikku?" Yuna asked her, fussing over her.

"I feel fine!" Rikku chirped. "Why? Did something happen?"

"You almost _died_, ya!" Wakka exploded, jumping up. Suddenly, he realized that he couldn't look at her any more. Every time he did, that image of her – feverish and screaming out in agony – came back to his mind, and he couldn't bear to think of her like that, even though she seemed _fine_ now. They had almost lost her – _he _had almost lost her. He hurried away from the campsite, and Rikku watched him go, her brow furrowed.

"I almost died?" she asked the others after a long pause.

Tidus hurriedly explained what had happened with Evrae, and how she had been attacked. He told her how they had been out of Holy Waters to cure her, and how Seymour had attacked them again.

"Wakka brought you here while we fought Seymour," Lulu told her in a low voice. "He stayed with you. He said you were feverish and you were calling out to your mother in Al Bhed."

Rikku looked down. "Oh," she said. "But – but why is he _mad _at me?" She looked near tears, and Yuna's heart went out to her.

"Oh, Rikku, I don't think that he's mad at all," the summoner said kindly. "He was so worried the whole time."

"Maybe you should go and speak to him," Sir Auron said calmly.

Rikku looked at him, and then nodded. "Yes, I think I will. But first …" She crossed the campsite to where Wakka's bag lay. Quickly, she sifted through it until she found the cloak that she had dirtied after they had fought at Lake Macalania. She was going to clean it, and give it back to him as a peace offering. From her own pouch, she pulled out a bar of soap, a towel, and fresh clothing.

"There is a small spring back that way," Yuna told her, pointing. Rikku nodded and headed in that direction. After she was gone, Yuna breathed a small sigh. Now that she knew Rikku was going to be all right, she could take some time to herself. She quietly headed off in the opposite direction that she had sent Rikku, to another spring. There was so much she needed to think about.

Tidus wasted no time in following her.

**Part Three**

Rikku reached the spring and knelt down at the water's edge. She knew that no one would follow her. They all had their own lives to think about.

She slipped off her boots and undid her hair, letting it fall in a golden waterfall down her back. She slipped her shorts and shirt off and tossed them across the lowest branch of one of the nearby trees. She was in only her bra and underwear now, and she quickly removed them and waded into the water until it covered her shoulders.

She bathed quickly, the water a perfect warm temperature. She crawled out of the spring and dried her long hair as best she could with the towel before drying off her body with it. She got dressed quickly, a little nervous about being "walked in on."

She then sat down on the bank then and set to work on the cloak, scrubbing at it with the soap as if her very life depended on the cleanliness of the cloth.

Wakka had gone back to the camp and had not been surprised to learn that Yuna and Tidus were gone. He _had_ been a bit shocked to find that Rikku, too was missing. "Where's Rikku?" he asked Lulu sharply.

Lulu looked up at him, her irritation evident. "She wanted to be alone," she said in a steely voice. "And no wonder, after that little stunt you pulled."

"I'm not the one who almost _died_, ya?" Wakka said defensively.

Lulu gasped in disbelief. "As if that was her fault!" she shot back. "Honestly, Wakka. Hasn't she been through _enough_ because of you?"

Wakka hung his head, knowing that yet again, Lulu was right. He was afraid now, though. Afraid of what Yuna and Sir Auron had told him – if Lord Braska had truly married an Al Bhed, then there was _no good reason_ why he and Rikku couldn't give it a go. Unless of course, she really didn't want to, like she had said before.

He was terrified of setting himself up, only to have her reject him. He was absolutely paralyzed with fear at the fact that if he was ever alone with her again, there was no telling what he would do. She had almost died; he had almost lost her forever. If he ever had another chance with her, he was going to kiss her until she was dizzy with her want and need for him, just like he was for her.

Mainly he was just scared because he'd never known that feelings could be so intense. He had never been more frightened than he was earlier that day, when she had been feverish, and in agony, and there had been nothing he could do to stop it. Knowing that if she died, he might not be able to breathe properly ever again chilled him to the bone.

But not having the chance scared him even more. "Where did she go?" he asked Lulu.

"Wakka, I don't think that's a good idea," Lulu began slowly.

"I _said_, where did she go?" Wakka's tone was steely; Lulu had never known him to be so forceful. She knew all to well what happened to a person when they lost someone they cared a great deal for – had Wakka cared for Rikku that much?

"She went that way," Sir Auron said from across the campsite, gesturing with his thumb. He looked to Lulu. "He needs to go to her," was all he said to the black mage.

Wakka walked in the direction Sir Auron had sent him, and stopped when he entered the clearing with the small spring. Rikku was at the water's edge, her blonde hair loose and damp and hanging down her back. She was barefoot, and on her knees, scrubbing something with an old bar of soap. Taking a few steps closer, he saw that it was his cloak.

Frowning to himself, he walked even closer. She should be _resting_, not doing his laundry! "Rikku!" he called out.

Rikku jumped, the bar of soap flying from her hand and landing with a soft _plunk_ in the spring. Glaring, she picked up the cloak and hung it over the tree branch. "Did ya have to scare me like that?" she asked him, pushing her wet bangs out of her eyes in frustration. "That was my last bar of soap."

"I'll buy you new soap," Wakka told her, walking toward her.

She stayed put and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What're you doing here, anyway?" she asked him.

"You should be resting!" he exclaimed. "Not washing _my _clothes."

"But _I_ got it dirty," Rikku told him pitifully. "It was my fault, and I wanted to clean it for you." She looked down at the dirt at her feet. "I was going to give it to you as a peace offering."

"We don't need a peace offering," he told her sardonically.

"I made you mad, though," she said meekly. "I'm sorry that I messed up back there and got attacked and almost died, you know? I really should have been paying more attention."

"I wasn't mad," Wakka told her, getting more frustrated by the second. He was so close now that he could smell her hair – that wonderful sandalwood, cinnamon, and roses mix that made his head spin – and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms.

"Oh really?" Rikku said sarcastically. "You only yelled at me and then stormed out of camp like – like you couldn't even stand to be near me any more!"

"I wasn't mad, Rikku," Wakka said evenly. "Back there, at camp, before anyone got back … I've never been so scared in my _life_, ya?"

"Scared?" Rikku whispered. "_Why_?"

"Because I thought you were dyin' on me!" Wakka cried out. He reached out and put his hand on her upper arm and caressed it gently. "I couldn't take it if you died," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Why do you even care, Wakka?" Rikku asked him, looking first at his hand on her arm, and then at his face. There was a strange glow in his chocolate-brown eyes, and a tenderness on his face that she didn't recognize. "Huh? Why do you care? I thought we Al Bheds were just heathens to you, just machina-using …"

He cut her off by placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her soundly on the mouth. Her eyes widened at the sudden movement, and she pushed him back, but he pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss. She made _that noise_ again in her throat, and only then did he break the kiss and look deep into her emerald eyes.

"If you'd just _shut up_ for a second, I'd tell ya," he told her, satisfaction twinkling in his eyes as he saw her befuddled expression.

"Fine, tell me," Rikku said, bound and determined to keep her wits about, even though he had just kissed the _hell_ out of her.

"First of all, you can't expect to just use a guy like you did back there on the airship and have him be okay with it," Wakka told her sternly.

Rikku bit her lip and looked down. "Oh. I see. So … you wish it never happened, huh?" She didn't want to let him see her cry, but it was hard. She had _known_ it was a bad idea, she had known he was too good for her …

"I didn't say dat!" Wakka said, tilting her chin up with his forefinger.

"Well, then, Wakka, what _are _you saying?" Rikku asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. "Look, I'm sorry, I never meant to 'use you.' I just figured, it would be okay, you know? Good for both of us?"

"I love you."

Rikku froze and looked up at him, her eyes wide. "_What?_" she gasped out.

Wakka rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Ah, dammit, I love you, you cursed girl!" he said again, pulling her into his arms.

Rikku's face lit up and she smiled at him. "You _do_?" she asked.

"Would I say it if I didn't mean it, huh?" Wakka asked, grinning back at her like a fool.

"But – but _why_?" Rikku asked.

"Not exactly what you wanna hear when you confess your love to someone, ya?" Wakka joked.

Rikku shook her head and laughed a little. "Sorry … I'm just … _shocked_."

Wakka looked at her, seriously this time. "Is that all? Just shocked?"

"Well, I mean, it's been a busy day – first I almost died, and now this guy who swore he _hated _my race is telling me that he loves me." Rikku giggled. "Which works out pretty well, since I happen to love him too."

Inwardly, Wakka breathed a sigh of relief. He reached his hand up and ran his fingers through her golden hair, and then brought his mouth down to hers.

There was no hesitation in their kisses now, no worrying about the next day, or the day after that. They didn't know what lie ahead on the journey, and they didn't care. Maybe they would all die when they reached Zanarkand … but at least they could live for the moment with each other _now_.

Kisses became insistent, hungry, and needy. They fell to the soft ground together and took their time. Time was one thing that they _still_ had right now … maybe the only thing left.

And across the way, in another forest spring, another couple was learning the same thing …

**A/N: I didn't put the Al Bhed translations at the beginning of this chap because I didn't want to give anything important away. I think from the context, you can figure it out. Also, I don't really care about the ACTUAL story of Yuna's parents I wrote it out to fit my story, this is the way it worked for me. It's never really discussed too much in game, so I figure that it is open to interpretation. XD  
It might seem like this is the last chap, but it's not. This story is going on until the end of the game and a little bit beyond. You know, what seems nice and cut and dry is not always the case with me. evil grin Anyway, I should have the next chappie up soon. Here are the translations, just in case anybody really wants them: **

"Ed rindc!" "It hurts!"  
"Sysy? Dyga sa fedr oui!" "Mama? Take me with you!"  
"E's cu cunno." "I'm so sorry."  
"E muja oui." "I love you." (I'm highly sure that most of you know what this means already.)

READ AND REVIEW! See you next chappie! Rhianna XD


	12. Chapter 11: True

**Chapter Eleven  
****True**  
**  
**

**Part One**  
The short trip to the Calm Lands the next morning was uneventful. However, things had changed for the group. Tidus and Yuna had come to some serious conclusions the previous night, as had Wakka and Rikku. For better or worse, they were in this thing _together_, till the end. Maybe even longer.

The others noticed the changes, but didn't say anything. Lulu seemed quieter than usual, if that was possible, as she contemplated Rikku and Wakka, walking together, talking in low tones. She knew she should be _happy_, and she was, but she also couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She'd had Wakka all to herself for the longest time, it seemed strange to her that he no longer _needed _her.

She noticed that Sir Auron also seemed subdued, so she made her way to his side. "Is something wrong?" the black mage asked.

The warrior looked at her staidly. "Why do you ask?" he questioned.

Lulu shrugged. "You seem preoccupied," was her response, and she nodded in the direction of Wakka and Rikku, who were now laughing at something.

"It is as it should be," Auron said cryptically.

"That's _all_ you have to say about it?" Lulu seemed put off.

"What more is there to say?" Auron asked her, adjusting his katana on his shoulder. "They are happy, leave it at that."

Lulu shook her head, the ornaments in her hair clinking together. "You're no help whatsoever," she commented, walking off in disgust.

Auron watched her, shaking his head. Some people – they didn't know what they had until it was gone. He was determined not to let anything stand in the way of the natural order of things. And right now, Wakka and Rikku were part of the natural order.

**Part Two**

"Ooh, we're here!" Rikku squealed when they reached the great plain known as the Calm Lands. Running ahead of the group, she threw her arms wide and spun in circles.

"What's so great about here?" Tidus asked, laughing at Rikku's antics.

"The road ends here," Lulu told him. "Past these plains, there are no villages, no towns, _nothing_."

"Mt. Gagazet is just ahead, ya?" Wakka added. "And on the other side of _dat_ is Zanarkand."

Rikku stopped spinning and regarded her cousin seriously. Her brow was furrowed as if she were deep in thought. _Zanarkand's not far,_ she thought to herself. _We have to figure out something … Tidus promised Pops! And I can't let Yunie die either!_ She took a few steps until she reached Wakka, and placed her hand in his. He just looked at her and smiled a little.

They had come to a comfortable agreement last night. No questions needed to be asked between them. It wasn't as if their feelings weren't completely obvious. Both were scared to death for Yuna, and at the same time, starting to fall more and more in love with each other.

"So – how much longer do we have?" Tidus voiced the question that nobody else wanted to ask.

"It depends," Sir Auron said honestly. "I've heard many tales of legendary weapons – we may want to look into that before heading off to fight Sin."

Rikku nodded adamantly. _Anything_ to buy her more time to think of some way to save Yunie!

"Besides," Yuna said softly, "it'll take a few days to even get across the Calm Lands. And Mt. Gagazet – I've heard it can take almost two weeks to reach the peak, and another few days after that to Zanarkand." She shrugged and smiled at Tidus.

"Just when you think you're almost done, ya?" Wakka said simply, elbowing Tidus in the ribs.

Tidus grinned his easy grin. "Well, it's not like I'm looking forward to getting to Zanarkand any more than the next guy, you know?"

"We should try to make it to the Travel Agency by nightfall," Lulu said, interrupting the conversation.

"Where _is_ the Travel Agency?" Rikku asked.

Lulu just looked at her. She knew that Rikku was just Rikku, and she hadn't done _anything_ wrong. In fact, she had pretty much _shoved_ Rikku in Wakka's direction, hadn't she? She felt Sir Auron's glare penetrating her and she sighed.

"It's in the central Calm Lands," Wakka answered Rikku after Lulu's long pause. He pointed to the vague silhouette of a building in the distance. "Dat way."

Rikku nodded. "Oh, I see." She looked at Lulu, feeling a little sad. Had she done something to upset the black mage? Was it because of Wakka? But hadn't Lulu _herself_ all but _told_ Rikku to go for it? She made a mental note to have a talk with the older girl as soon as time permitted it.

The group continued walking down the slope into the large bowl of lush green land. Rikku lagged behind the rest of the group. Wakka was up ahead, talking animatedly to Tidus and Yuna, while Kimahri and Lulu walked off to one side, away from everyone else.

She was sad. Auron could see that, so he slowed his own pace until everyone else had passed him, and he was walking side-by-side with the young Al Bhed. "Rikku," he said.

Rikku looked up, surprised to see him. "Hmm?" she asked, trying to appear nonchalant. He narrowed his one good eye at her, and Rikku knew that he could see right through her. She blew out an exasperated breath. "Lulu's mad at me," she finally confessed. "And I don't know why."

"She isn't angry with you, Rikku," Auron told her, trying his best to sound sympathetic – something that was uncharacteristic for him. "Angry at _herself_, perhaps, but she will get over it."

"Why would she be mad at _herself_?" Rikku asked.

"Some people don't realize what they have right in front of them until they lose it," Auron said, voicing his thoughts from earlier aloud.

Rikku seemed to ponder this. "So she's mad that she didn't see what a great guy Wakka was before – and now he's taken, and she's realized it too late?"

Auron merely nodded.

Rikku looked down, trying to hide her sudden tears from the stoic guardian. "Well, then, I don't stand a chance, do I?" she whispered, looking at her feet. "I mean, if Lulu decides to say something, or do something …"

"She won't." Auron's voice was firm, and left no room for argument.

"How can you be so sure?" Rikku asked.

"Rikku, look at me," he said gently. Sighing, she looked up at him. Just as he'd suspected, tears were sparkling in her emerald eyes. "You have no reason to cry. Lulu may be angry with herself right now, but she's not a vindictive person. She'd never try to get in the way of Wakka's happiness. And he _is_ happy with you." Rikku didn't say anything. "Rikku, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, sir," she murmured.

Auron shook his head. The girl was completely maddening – yet she had a strange way of crawling under your skin and making herself at home. He placed a hand on her shoulder, a movement that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. But when she looked up at him and gave him a watery smile, he was suddenly glad that he could be of some assistance to her.

"You have nothing to worry about, Rikku," Auron told her, leaning down and speaking to her in a conspiratorial whisper. "I've seen the way he looks at you – it's the look of a man who's not going anywhere."

This time, Rikku's smile was real, and she impulsively threw herself into the older guardian's arms. "Thank you!" she whispered breathily into his ear. Before she pulled away completely, she treated him to a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Then she jumped away and ran to catch up with Wakka, Tidus, and Yuna.

Auron watched the girl bound off, and he looked at her with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement.

**Part Three**

It was nearly sunset when the group reached the Calm Lands Travel Agency, only to find out that all the rooms were booked. "Guess we're campin', ya?" Wakka said.

"Oh, but it's _cold_," Rikku whined good-naturedly.

Wakka put his arm around her. "I'll keep you warm, eh?" he whispered in her ear. She blushed prettily and he kissed the top of her head.

They followed the rest of the group to a sloping area on the edge of the far northern cliff that led to a cave large enough for the seven of them to fit inside comfortably.

Tidus drew first watch, and even though Yuna knew she should be resting, she stayed awake to sit outside the mouth of the cave and talk to him. The sound of their voices murmuring softly, as well as the feel of Wakka's arms around her, lulled Rikku into a restful sleep in no time.

Only a few hours later, Wakka rolled over gently, trying to avoid waking the sleeping girl beside him. It was his turn on watch, and he wanted to be sure that Rikku got plenty of sleep tonight.

Rikku stirred in her sleep, and one eye popped open when she felt Wakka move away from her. "Go back to sleep, ya?" Wakka whispered to her, kissing her forehead. "I've gotta go on watch."

Still a little muzzy-headed from the sleep, Rikku opened her other eye and sat up. "No, I'll go keep you company," she whispered back, smiling.

"You should sleep, eh?" Wakka said, though he was secretly glad that she wanted to be with him.

"I'll sleep later, when Sir Auron relieves you on watch. This way, we both get the _same_ amount of sleep!" Rikku chirped quietly. She moved quickly to the mouth of the cave, hoping not to disturb any of the others, and sat down in the grass just outside the opening.

She stretched her long legs out in front of her, and leaned back, resting on her elbows. Throwing her head back, she looked up at the night sky. "Wow – you can see a lot of stars out here."

"Can you not back on Bikanel?" Wakka asked.

Rikku shrugged. "You know, it's funny. I guess I never paid that much attention before. But now, here, everything seems a lot clearer somehow." She smiled at him playfully. "Maybe it's 'cause of you."

"Me? What'd _I _do?" Wakka asked, grinning back. It was impossible _not _to, really. Rikku's smirk was highly contagious.

She sighed. "You just were," she said simply. "And I'm glad that you and Tidus beat me up at the Moonflow, and I'm glad that I am here with you now."

"I'm glad too," Wakka told her. There was no way she could know just how seriously he meant those words.

He was certain that this group would have fallen apart several times over if not for Rikku's positive and upbeat attitude there to keep them in high spirits. Especially him. He knew, without a doubt, that if it weren't for Rikku, he would probably have wanted to give up this entire pilgrimage. She gave him a reason to wake up every morning, a reason to put one foot in front of the other, a reason just to _be_.

They sat in companionable silence for a while before Rikku spoke again. "Wakka?"

"Mmm?" he replied drowsily.

"Do you think – do you think there's a way for Yunie perform the Final Summoning _without_ dying?" Rikku's voice was quiet and small, and he regarded her seriously.

"Wish I knew," he said honestly, blowing out an unsteady breath. "This journey'd be a hell of a lot easier if I did."

Rikku looked inside the cave, where Yuna and Tidus lay, curled up with each other, sleeping peacefully. "It just seems like such a waste," she said sadly.

"Perhaps it will be different this time," a third voice commented, from behind Wakka.

Rikku looked up at Sir Auron, who had arrived to take Wakka's place on watch. "That'd be nice, huh?" she asked, smiling hopefully.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Auron asked her sternly.

She blushed and looked up at him from beneath her lashes, embarrassed. "I was just – uh …" Her eyes darted to Wakka for help, but he offered none, he just laughed at her.

Auron shook his head with faint amusement. "I see," he said, trying to hide his smirk. "Well, go back to sleep, you two. Tomorrow will be a long day."

Rikku nodded and stood up quickly, grabbing onto Wakka's arm. "Yes, sir!" she said, stumbling back into the cave. "Is it just me, or is he _really _intimidating?" she whispered to Wakka when they had gotten settled at the back of the cave.

"Sir Auron?" Wakka asked. "He's not so bad. Just takes a little gettin' used to, dat's all."

Rikku nodded and snuggled up closer to Wakka. "Good night, Wakka," she whispered, closing her eyes.

In the dark, Wakka smiled. He didn't know what he had done in his life at all to deserve this gift, but he was certainly glad to accept it. Rikku wasn't perfect, not by a long shot. She talked a lot, and she was a little naïve, and she tended to let her emotions control what came out of her mouth.

But none of that was important. Because Rikku had a big, throbbing heart full of love and generosity that she bestowed on everyone she met. She had the ability to make you smile even when your heart was breaking, and to make you cry from laughing too hard.

And most important of all, at least to Wakka, was that she was perfect for _him_. He had given up hope of ever finding someone who would look at him and accept everything about him. The fact that she still managed to find a place in her heart for him, even after all the things he'd done to her meant so much more to him than he could ever express.

Rikku didn't get irritated when he put his foot in his mouth, as he was so apt to do, and she didn't judge him at all. She had been there for Chappu. He knew now, that if he could have handpicked someone to be at Chappu's side in his stead, he would've picked Rikku out of a thousand other people.

All this time, he'd thought in the end, it would be _Lu_ he'd end up with – just because he felt like he should take care of her in Chappu's absence. But now he knew that Lu would be fine, even on her own, and that he would never have to be alone again.

She stirred in her sleep, and her eyes opened – those spiraling emerald pools that he could drown in. She touched his face gently, and closed her eyes again.

"E muja oui," she breathed.

It was then that he realized, from somewhere deep inside, what those words meant.

"I love you, too," he told her before he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep.

**A/N: Whew, nothing but fluff, fluff, and more fluff in this chap! I hope you guys like, and I'll try to get the next one up ASAP. READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Rhianna XD**


	13. Chapter 12: Beautiful Disaster

**A/N: OMG! I'm soooo sorry this took so long ... my life is not so happy/good/conducive to story-writing lately. I really apologize to everyone who waited so long for an update. But here it is! XD Anyway ... the story is getting bigger now, there are a lot more elements coming into it. Before, it was just this happy little fluffy bunny Wakka/Rikku centric thing, and that is all well and good, but I have so much other stuff to add to this ... It's going to be a really loooooong story. So this chap is a lot of plot development, and moving things along, and it focuses a lot more on another character, who is going to be super-important in the whole scheme of things later on. And you may think you have this all figured out, but trust me, you don't. XD This is gonna be one helluva ride from here on out, so I hope you all bear with me and enjoy! Read and Review PLEASE! Reviews make me wanna write faster! Rhianna :)**

**Chapter Twelve  
****Beautiful Disaster**

**Part One**

He bought her a coat. A big, long, ugly, bulky thing. Kind of like the one he always wore, only less "legendary guardian", more "little girl in a big ol' parka." And it wasn't the crimson of a warrior, either. It was green like grass. Green like a neophyte. Did he think of her as novice? But the gesture surprised her, nevertheless. He didn't seem the type to do random acts of kindness. But people had been known to shock her every once in a while. Sometimes even literally.

It had all been very unceremonious. The group had woken up inside the cave the next morning, no worse for the wear, and ready to continue their trek. Sir Auron announced that they needed to see a man on the other side of the plains because he was the only person in Spira who could sell them a special type of weapon.

Rikku balked. "What do we need _more_ weapons for?" she asked sulkily. "We already have about a hundred apiece, and they are _heavy_."

Sir Auron turned to face her with a stony glare. "There are certain tasks that must be undertaken," he said coolly. "If you wish to continue this whining, then feel free to stay behind."

Rikku bit her lip and looked down, face reddening. "Sorry," she whispered. Wakka put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and shot Sir Auron a warning look.

Yuna smiled softly at her cousin and walked over to her. "It's okay, Rikku. Sir Auron is just a little cranky this morning. He did a double watch last night, so I don't think he got much sleep."

Rikku's brow furrowed. "Why would he do that?"

"Uh, 'cuz _someone_ slept through her watch," Tidus said in a gentle, teasing tone, looking at Rikku pointedly, but not unkindly.

Her emerald pools widened in shame. "Oh, no!" She looked up ahead at the older guardian. "He's so pissed at me, huh? Well, why didn't he just wake me up?"

"Oh, and interrupt all that cuddling?" The older man snorted derisively, obviously having heard the conversation. "I wouldn't _dream_ of it."

Rikku looked up at him, her eyes beseeching, imploring. "I'm so sorry," she told him in a soft voice. "I'll take a double watch tonight, I promise! Auron …" She trailed off as he looked at her darkly over his glasses. "_Sir_ Auron. I am sorry."

"Hmph," was his only reply, and he walked off, ahead of them.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" Rikku asked, looking at the others hopefully. "Was that a forgiving 'hmph'?"

Yuna shook her head and laughed gently.

Rikku looked up at Wakka, and found herself looking into laughing brown eyes. She punched him on the arm. "_You _got me in trouble!" she hissed at him.

"Ah, but what a thing to get in trouble for, ya?" he teased. "Cuddling. Man, we just may have to get you into trouble more often, what do you say?"

Rikku blew out an exasperated puff of air and shook her head. "You're a big meanie, you know that? It's easy for you to say. Sir Auron doesn't want to slice _you_ in two with that katana of his."

"I doubt he wants to slice you in two with it, either, eh?" Wakka said. "He's probably not too big on cleaning blood of the blade."

Yuna and Tidus laughed, and finally, Rikku grinned. "Shh, he can probably _hear_ us," she whispered.

"Oh, but it'll be your fault, so the rest of us aren't too worried," Tidus said breezily, lacing his fingers with Yuna's.

"Ha ha, Tidus," Rikku shot back. "You're a real comedian."

Wakka turned to talk to Tidus, and Rikku's brow furrowed again. The past few days, Sir Auron had been so _nice _to her, and made her feel so much better about everything that was going on around her. Today, it was like someone had flipped a switch inside of him, and made him feel animosity toward her.

She wondered what it was that had set him off. And why the anger seemed to be directed at _her_. Mustering up all the courage she had, she turned to Wakka. "I'm gonna go see if I can smooth things over, okay? I don't want a legendary guardian mad at me the rest of the way to Zanarkand."

Wakka nodded and gave Rikku's hand a gentle squeeze. She felt a lot of strength return to her, and courage. Funny how one goofy blitzball player from Besaid could steady her like no one else in Spira. Funny, and _wonderful_. This love thing, it was good. She was glad, if for nothing else, that she had been able to experience it in her lifetime.

He heard her running to catch up with him, and he tried like hell to conceal his smirk. "Sir Auron?" she said meekly.

He turned his head only slightly, so as not to convey _too _much interest. "Hmm?" he asked her nonchalantly.

"You're not gonna make this easy, are you?" she asked him. No response. Rolling her eyes, she walked in front of him and planted herself in his path. The others, she noticed, were still a ways behind them. He stopped, even though he could have easily lifted her and moved her out of the way.

"Well? Say whatever it is that you have to say," Sir Auron said coolly.

"Hey! Stop being so mean!" she demanded. "Look, I already apologized once, and I don't even know why I'm doing it again, except that I don't want you mad at me the rest of the way to Zanarkand, and I really am sorry that I slept through my watch, but you should have _woken me up!_"

She looked so small, so fiercely determined, so absolutely repentant, that he couldn't help but laugh. A loud, deep, guttural laugh that nearly brought tears to his one good eye.

"Quit laughing at me!"

This only made him laugh harder.

Rikku made an inhumane sound and threw up her hands in capitulation. "I don't understand you!" she cried out, spinning on her heel to turn away from him.

He grabbed her arm with his hand and she stopped and looked at it. His hand was so big – he could encircle her arm with it, easily. She looked up at him, and saw that he had stopped laughing, and his face was serious.

"You don't have to understand me," he told her in a low voice. "Just understand this … this may be Yuna's journey, and I may be here as a favor to Braska and Jecht, but it's become more. More important than _anyone_ here can imagine. This isn't just about Yuna or even Tidus any more. It's also very much about _you_."

Rikku blinked. "_Me_ me? Or like, the rest of us me?"

"Rikku."

That word, her name, spoken by him, gave her a sudden sense of clarity. "But what's so special about me?"

Auron started to walk again, and Rikku scampered to keep up. This conversation was starting to remind her of the one she'd had back in Macalania Woods, with Yuna. "Auron! Tell me!" He stopped, and she recoiled, knowing that she wasn't supposed to address him so informally.

Surprisingly, he didn't say anything about it. "Why do you think you are here, Rikku?"

She shrugged. "For Yunie, of course," she said noncommittally.

"Is that the only reason?" His gaze was intense.

"I don't know! I'm not in charge of all that stuff! I go where I'm needed."

"Look around, Rikku. There are five other guardians. Do you _really_ think you are completely necessary to this plight?" Auron asked her.

She felt tears pricking the back of her eyes, and she avoided his stare. "No, I guess not," she said softly.

"Rikku, look at me," Auron said. Sighing, she looked at him. "Now, look at the others. Tell me, _why _are you here?"

Rikku looked back at her traveling companions, studying them each one by one. Her eyes lit on Wakka, and her countenance brightened. "For him," she said quietly, smiling softly to herself. The hand on her shoulder made her look up, her brow furrowed, her expression puzzled. "And … for you?"

The legendary guardian squeezed her shoulder gently. "Doesn't make sense right now, does it?" he said.

She shook her head. "No. Is it supposed to? Am I _missing _something?"

"If you are, then I am as well," Auron said honestly. "I thought I knew it all. Braska told me to watch out for you."

"That's strange," Rikku said. "Back in Macalania … Yuna said … she said that her father, that he was trying to tell everyone something about me." She shook her head. "I don't understand! I'm just a little Al Bhed girl! What could I possibly have to offer _anyone_?"

The rest of the party had caught up to them by now. "I guess we will know when we are meant to know," Auron told her. Without any ceremony or ado, he handed her a folded green coat. "It gets cold on Mt. Gagazet," he told her simply.

"Thank you," she said, mostly to herself, looking down at the coat.

**Part Two**

She was exceptionally quiet after her talk with Sir Auron, Wakka noticed. He hoped she was okay, but if she wasn't, he was fully prepared to have his _own _little chat with the Legendary One.

The party bought the special capturing weapons from the owner of the Monster Arena, and Tidus and Wakka were anxious to try them out. Sir Auron agreed to allow them to spend another night in the Calm Lands before heading on toward Mt. Gagazet.

He needed the rest, anyway. It seemed that the closer they got to Zanarkand, the more tired he felt. And why shouldn't he be tired? He was dead. He had no right to start feeling _alive_ again, and not now, especially. His job was almost done. Soon he'd be allowed to finally rest in peace. But that thought afforded him little comfort. There was obviously something _here_, something on this plane of existence that he was missing.

Braska wanted him to find it; he could feel it in his bones. Every time the wind whistled by him, he could hear Braska whispering something to him. It seemed to have something to do with Rikku … but that didn't make any sense. What could that _girl _possibly have that was so important?

_A matter of life and death …_Braska had said to him before, in a dream, months ago, before he'd even met any of them. Getting Rikku and Wakka together was _a matter of life and death_. Well, that was done! And they really hadn't needed _his_ help with it, anyway. They seemed to find each other of their own accord. So why did it seem like there was more?

As the party sat around the campfire that Lulu had conjured up that night, Auron walked away from the group, hoping for some peace and quiet. He stood at the edge of one of the cliffs and stared out over the chasm as the canyon wind blew his hair and coat back.

"Braska!" he said. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do here any more. I feel like I am finally going crazy. All this time, all I've wished for is death and rest … and you give me this mission. And with it, you've given me hope and light and joy." Auron hadn't felt pain like this in a long time. Not since the death of his two closest friends ten years ago.

_What is wrong with hope and light and joy?_

"It's … it's not for me," Auron said, anguish in his voice. "You made that perfectly clear before."

_Not for you _now_, perhaps?_

"Not for me at all!" He looked back at the camp, at the people he had been traveling with for the past months.

There was the Summoner, beauty and truth and goodness in the form of a steel-willed young woman.

The Hero, full of nobility, honor, and duty to people he barely even knew, in a world he didn't belong in.

The Mage, cool, and calm and steadfast, fiercely determined to be with her Sister till the very end.

The Protector, a man of a different race who had never known true family until he found Yuna, ten years ago.

The Loyal, the man who had been so pious and righteous for so much of his life, determined to do the right thing, determined to avenge … destined to love the wrong girl.

And of course, there was the _Girl_. She didn't fit into any mold, didn't have a set course. She came in mid-action, and sent the pilgrimage spinning on its heels in a totally different direction than had been originally planned. She was supposed to be so important to them all … to have an impact on everybody's life, even though no one really knew what it all meant just yet.

Least of all her.

_There is a plan, Auron. And it's already in motion. Be patient. Wait. All will be revealed in time._

"I don't have a lot of time left," Auron muttered, taking a swig from his flask.

_You have all the time in the world …_


	14. Chapter 13: A Moment Like This

A/N: Well, there are all kinds of shocks and revelations in this chapter, and lots of stuff is turning around ... Hopefully you guys like this and will bear with me through the next couple of chaps. I KNOW that this story will not disappoint ANYONE, if you just hang with me! Read and Review PLEEEEEEASE! Thnx! Rhianna :)

Chapter Thirteen  
A Moment Like This

**Part One**

Mt. Gagazet loomed like a sentinel ahead of them. Rikku knew that it could take nearly two weeks to reach the summit, and then another several days for the descent into Zanarkand, the City of the Dead, but it didn't abate her fears. Time was running out. They'd be there soon, and _nobody _had any helpful ideas.

The breeze that had been practically _balmy_ in the Calm Lands had turned into a chill, whistling wind as the party made their way up the incline. Shivering, Rikku shrugged herself into the coat that Sir Auron had given her, once again grateful for the gift.

Wakka noticed her putting on the cloak, and raised an eyebrow. "When did you buy a coat, huh?" he asked her, putting his arm across her shoulders easily.

She smiled up at him. "I – I didn't actually," she said with a shrug. "Sir Auron did."

"Sir Auron?" Wakka said incredulously. "Wow. Didn't think that guy had it in him, ya?"

"I guess people surprise you sometimes," Rikku told him, poking him playfully in the ribs. "Besides, what was I supposed to do? Count on _you_ to keep me warm?"

"Well, it would be worth a shot," Wakka teased, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug.

"Aw, cut it _out_, you two!" Tidus griped from behind them. "Geez, can't you at least wait until we set up camp for the night?"

Yuna smiled sweetly. "Oh, I think it's lovely," she said softly. "It's nice to see them so happy."

"But must they be so _happy_ in front of the rest of us?" Tidus asked dryly.

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's enough. Honestly, haven't we had plenty of excitement for one day?"

Rikku looked down. Lulu was right, as usual. They _had_ had quite a long day already. First, they had to gain the permission of Lord Kelk Ronso to even be allowed _on_ the damn mountain, and then, Kimahri had had some old business to clear up with some of his clansmen.

Finally, though, they had begun their climb. "Ronso village around next turn. We rest there tonight," Kimahri stated a little while later. "No other villages on Gagazet. If not rest there, several hours hike to nearest shelter."

Auron nodded. "Fine, we rest in the village. It's getting late."

Rikku was only too happy to follow the party into the village. There was no Travel Agency in the village, but the Ronso had their own Inn, and that was where the group decided to stay for the night.

It was too early to try and sleep, so they all sat in the lobby and chatted about this and that … _anything_ to keep their mind off of what was to come. Sir Auron had already informed them that the fiends on Gagazet were some of the strongest in Spira.

"It's because many summoners die up here, alone, with no one to send them," Lulu explained.

Rikku just nodded, eyes wide. "Wow," she whispered, locking her arm with Wakka's and resting her head on his shoulder. Wakka brushed the golden hair off Rikku's forehead gently, and let his hand rest against her cheek.

Auron watched that simple gesture, and felt a strange pulling at his unsent heart. _Why?_ He wondered. _Why should it matter to me?_ The two of them, Rikku and Wakka, they were getting closer and closer with every second that passed on this journey. And he was the one who had initiated it. Soon, Auron knew, something would happen. He honestly didn't know how he would react when the time came.

A little while later, Yuna declared that she was tired, and was going to bed. Tidus rose to follow her. Lulu looked like she wanted to complain, but one look from Auron hushed her.

Rikku yawned and stretched her arms. "Wow, I'm more tired than I thought," she said with a small giggle. "I guess I'm gonna hit the sack, too." She turned to Wakka. "Are you coming?" she whispered, so that only he could hear.

"In a minute, ya?" he told her, touching the tip of her nose lightly. He watched her walk down the hallway, marveling at how pretty she was. He still couldn't believe how lucky he had gotten, finding her. She was showing him so much, and he'd be eternally grateful for it.

Wakka turned back to those who remained in the lobby. Kimahri was speaking with a few of the other Ronso, which left only Lulu and Auron. That was fine with him; they were the ones he wanted to talk to anyway.

"Hey, uh, I was wonderin' if I could talk to you two for just a minute?" Wakka asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Lulu cocked her head to the side, immediately concerned. Wakka looked nervous about something. Much as she liked to pretend otherwise, she _really_ did care a great deal for him. More than she really should considering the circumstances. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Wakka shook his head. "No, no, nothin'. It's just, well, I'm about to do somethin' kinda important, and I just needed some steadyin', ya?"

Auron inadvertently sucked in his breath. "Yes?" he said, trying to remain calm.

"Well, see, I'm gonna ask Rikku to … to _marry_ me, ya? Once everything with Sin is over and done with … when and _if_ we come back. I just … I don't want to wait until it's too late. I think if I don't do it now, it just won't get done, and then, what if it's too late, ya? What if I never ask her, and she never knows that I _wanted_ to, and then we get to Zanarkand and fight Sin and … well, you know." Wakka's face had turned the same shade as his hair.

Lulu's eyes widened in utter shock. "Yevon, Wakka! Are you _serious_ about this?"

Wakka looked at her, his oldest friend and nodded solemnly. "More than I have ever been about _anything_, Lu."

"But, Wakka, she's _Al Bhed_. You … your feelings about them …"

"Lulu!" Auron said sharply, causing the black mage to jump. To Wakka, he said, "I do not think you have any reason to worry. It is no secret that the two of you care for each other a great deal. I can only hope that things _do _work out for you."

"Thanks, Sir Auron," Wakka said sincerely. He looked at Lu, worried. She seemed so … _angry_ … with him. But why? Didn't she want him to be happy? "Lu. Are you _mad _at me?"

Quickly, Lulu composed herself. "No, of course not, Wakka. It is just … I was not expecting it, not so soon."

"It's now or never," Wakka said, standing up. "I can't wait till the last minute and risk losing it all, ya?"

Lulu laughed sardonically. Too bad _she _hadn't thought of that. "I suppose you're right." She stood up, and in a move she was unaccustomed to, wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. "Good luck, Wakka," she whispered as Wakka returned the hug, surprised at her sudden emotional outburst. Well, for _Lu_ it was an emotional outburst. Lu didn't _hug_ people. Not even Yuna.

"Thanks, Lu," Wakka said, pulling away from her. He turned and walked down the hallway, and Lulu watched him go, a sad expression on her face.

"I'm an idiot," she said in a barely audible voice, shaking her head.

"We both are," Auron said from behind her. Lulu turned around, surprised that he had even heard her.

"_We_ are?" she asked, sitting back down.

"We both missed something that was right in front of our face the whole time," he said vaguely.

Lulu's brow furrowed. What was he _talking _about? She knew what _she_ was feeling, but she hadn't thought that Auron had developed any deep feelings for anyone during this journey. "Sir Auron?"

He shook himself out of his reverie. "I apologize. I didn't realize that these emotions ran so deep. It's been a … lifetime since I've felt anything of the sort."

"Sir Auron, I don't understand," Lulu said.

"You understand better than anyone else could. I knew it long ago, as you did, but I simply refused to admit that I could be feeling anything of the sort. I thought I was above such notions," Auron said with a slight chuckle.

"Notions such as …" Lulu pressed gently.

"Love. What else, Lulu?" Auron sighed with resignation.

"Love? Sir Auron … you are _in love_? With who?"

Auron uncorked his jug of sake and took a long swig before answering the mage. "I should think that _that_ much is obvious. This whole time, I've watched her, more than I have watched Yuna. I'm not proud of that … I just – I can't help it. She's so small, so vulnerable. I worry about her. And since I feared what I was feeling, I sent _him_ to her in my stead." He laughed sardonically. "And look what it has gotten me." He looked at Lulu. "What it has gotten _us_. Lulu, I am sorry."

Lulu closed her eyes, all of it making sense now. "Oh, Sir Auron. It's not your fault. I'm guilty of the same thing. I, too, pushed her at him. I – I had to. I was afraid. After Chappu … I couldn't go through that again. I wouldn't be able to bear it." Sighing, she looked at her fellow guardian. "But I think it doesn't much matter what we did. Those two, they were destined to collide from the very beginning, without any outside help." She shrugged. "And they're happy. We can't exactly deny them that, now can we?"

Auron stood up stiffly. He was beginning to feel it now, that pull. The weight of the world that he wasn't supposed to belong to any more was bearing down on him more and more the nearer they drew to Zanarkand.

_Well, that was something,_ he thought. _At least I won't have to live the rest of my life with this feeling. Not like Lulu_. He felt sorry for her. To have loved and lost not once, but twice … If she was feeling even a fraction of what _he_ was feeling, then he pitied her plight more than any other creature's on the planet.

Even more than Yuna. Because Yuna would live. Tidus would see to that, it was the whole reason he was here. He knew what was in store, but he also knew that the end wouldn't _truly_ be the end.

"Good night, Lulu," Auron said. "I am tired."

Lulu nodded. "Good night, Sir Auron." She couldn't have slept if she wanted to. So much was weighing on her mind.

Auron walked down the hallway, past the room where Tidus and Yuna slept, past the room that Kimahri had retired to, past the room that Lulu would sleep in, past the room that he could hear the soft murmur of two voices, speaking of their future. He reached his room at the end of the hallway, opened the door, and collapsed onto the bed.

_This was not supposed to happen!_ He cursed the gods. _I'm _dead_. Isn't that enough? Why, why should I be feeling this pain now?_

_Ah, but you are _feeling_, Auron. And isn't that worth something?_ Braska's voice, again.

"A lot of good it does me now," Auron said gruffly.

_Wait and see._ That was the only response Braska would give him. _Wait and see._

**Part Two**

Wakka walked into the room that Rikku was in, and watched her sleep for a moment. He smiled, feeling more and more nervous by the second. She looked so sweet, lying there like that. He hated to wake her, but this was more important than sleep.

He lowered himself onto the bed beside her, and gently traced the curve of her face with his fingertip. Her skin was so soft. He couldn't get over that. "Rikku," he whispered. "Psst, Rikku. Wake up, ya?"

Rikku's eyelids fluttered and then opened, and she focused those remarkable green eyes on the man before her. "Wakka? What's wrong? Is Yunie okay?" She sat bolt upright in bed, instantly awake.

Wakka laughed a little. "Yuna's fine, ya? Calm down. Not everything is an impending disaster."

"I'm sorry," Rikku said sarcastically. "Are you new here? This is a pilgrimage, to Zanarkand, where we send our beloved summoners to their untimely deaths. The whole _journey_ is an impending disaster."

"Rikku," Wakka said, reaching out and touching her face. "This isn't about Yuna, or the pilgrimage. It's about _us_. And it can't wait any longer."

Rikku's features twisted with concern. "Okay?" she said quizzically.

Wakka blew out an exasperated breath. "It's just that, this journey has got me to thinkin', ya? That we never know what will happen next. So when we find something worth holdin' onto, we should _hold onto _it, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Rikku said, tilting her head and looking into the warm brown eyes that she adored. He looked _so serious_. She almost giggled. "Wakka, what's going on?"

"I'm sayin', Rikku, that I want to hold onto you, and I want you to _know_ that I want to hold onto you. Since we don't know what's waitin' for us over this mountain, in Zanarkand, I want you to know it _now_. I'm tellin' you, Rikku, that when this is all over with and behind us, that I want to marry you. I want to spend the whole rest of my life with _you_." _There. I said it._ Wakka thought, proud of himself. He sucked in his breath and waited.

Rikku was shocked. Her hand flew to her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. "You want to marry _me_?" she whispered. "You really do?"

"Yes, you crazy girl, I really do," Wakka told her.

"But … I'm Al Bhed. Are you sure that that's … okay?"

"It's more than okay," Wakka said. "You've taught me so much, and given me so much, even when I was bein' a real jerk, ya?"

Rikku's tears spilled over then, and she threw herself into his arms. "Oh, Wakka. I love you so much. And I want … I want to spend my life with you too."

Wakka pulled away so he could look into her eyes. "Is that a yes?"

Rikku laughed. "It's a _hell_ yes! Of course I'll marry you!" She threw her arms around him again, laughing and crying all at once.

Wakka laughed along with her, happier than he had been in a very long time. Rikku had brought the sunshine back into his life, given him so many reasons to _want _to be alive. Yevon may have utterly disappointed him and shattered his conviction, but this tiny person, an _Al Bhed_ nonetheless, had given him something to put his ruined faith back into:

_Her_.

**Part Three**

Little did Wakka know, but someone else felt the _exact_ same way about the _exact_ same girl.

But there was _nothing_ that could give Auron solace from the pain he was feeling. Why now? Why, when he was nearly at the end of his journey, when he was about to depart for his well-deserved rest, did he finally learn what _love_ was? He'd managed to live his entire life without it, and he thought he'd done all right.

But now, she had crept under his skin and into his brain and his heart and wasn't budging, and he didn't know he had survived without this feeling before. It actually made him feel more alive now than he had when he was actually living.

He tried to drown her out with his sake, as he had done on many previous occasions when no one else was around. But this time, all he could see was _her_, laughing and smiling, twirling in his mind.

He finally passed out from the alcohol but still, he dreamed about her:

_She was wearing a white dress and saying her vows. But she wasn't pledging her love and life to the red-haired blitzer, but to a skeleton, a dead man. And she was signing her very life away, agreeing to a life in the shadows, away from the sun. And she did it with a smile on her face … because Rikku always smiled. _

He woke with a start, his head pounding from the sake. The dream had shaken him. "I'm dead," he said desperately. "I am dead and she is very much alive. Why do you torture me in this manner? Braska, what _are _you trying to do?"

_Not yet, _Braska's voice whispered. _Rest, Auron. There is much left to see._

"No, Braska, there isn't," Auron argued. He was loud, almost belligerent. He no longer cared. This wasn't the way things were supposed to work out; this _hadn't_ been in his master plan when he had come back from Zanarkand.

He had counted on Tidus, Yuna, Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka. They were _all _supposed to be here. But not _her_. She had been the bombshell – literally – the catalyst to the destruction of his resolve.

_You aren't finished here, Auron. Not yet. Just wait. All will be revealed in due time. There is much left to see._

Auron managed to fall back into a mercifully dreamless sleep, with the aid of a bit more sake.

_There is much left to see …_


	15. Chapter 14: Scars

**A/N**: **Okay, I loooove how this chap turned out, and I hope you guys do too! XD Everything is getting shifted now, and I hope you will all bear with me until the end, I promise to make it worth your while! Thanks so much, and ... if you want to see what happens sooner, click that "Review" button (wink,wink)! I love you guys! Rhianna :)**

**Chapter Fourteen  
Scars**

**Part One**

She was happy. She woke up the next morning with a bright smile on her face, and a new hope in her heart. Somebody loved her enough to want to spend the rest of his life with her! And not just _any_ somebody – _her_ somebody. The one that _she_ wanted to be with for forever and beyond.

She woke up and looked to her right, where Wakka lie sleeping. He looked so cute and peaceful, his mouth hanging open slightly. Rikku grinned and bent over to kiss his forehead ever so gently.

His eyelids fluttered open and his brown eyes found her green ones. "Mornin'," he said sleepily.

"Good morning," Rikku whispered, not able to keep the smile off her face.

"Is it time to go?" Wakka mumbled, returning the smile.

Rikku shook her head. "Not yet. I just can't sleep any more. I'm gonna go see if Yunie's awake yet," she told him. "I think she'll be happy with the news. You go back to sleep, I'll come and get you later."

Wakka rolled over and went back to sleep without further protest.

Sighing, Rikku climbed out of bed and got dressed quietly. She tiptoed out to the lobby, and was disappointed to see that she was the only one awake.

She wandered over to the small breakfast bar that the Inn provided for travelers – what few there _were_ on Mt. Gagazet – and decided upon a flaky pastry of some sort and a glass of juice. She carried her food over to one of the small tables and had just sat down with it, when someone called her name.

"Rikku!"

Her head snapped in the direction of the gruff voice, and she was surprised to see Sir Auron, standing near the doorway of the Inn.

"Sir Auron! G'morning!" she said cheerfully. "I thought I was the only one up."

Auron nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Come. I want to show you something."

Puzzled, Rikku stood up and followed the Legendary One to the door. "Um, it's _cold _out there, Sir Auron," she protested meekly.

"Trust me." He opened the door and held it, ushering Rikku out with a nod of his head.

"Okay, you're the boss," Rikku said, stepping out into the chill air of the mountain village.

"Wow." Rikku's breath hitched as she beheld the scene before her. Last night, when the party had arrived at the inn, it had been cold and the wind had been biting. The sky had been overcast and snow had been blowing in all directions.

Today, it wasn't like that. There was no wind, and the sun was actually shining. The snow that had been blowing the night before had settled into a pristine white blanket that covered the ground as far as the eye could see. In the sunlight, the ground sparkled and glittered. It was even more beautiful here than it had been back in Macalania.

"Wow, it's really beautiful here," Rikku stated, staring out across the unblemished purity of the landscape.

Suddenly, several thousand feet away, directly opposite the inn, a shimmering body of the bluest water Rikku had ever seen seemingly appeared out of nowhere. _I'm finally going crazy. _Rikku stared at the mirage, utterly baffled. "Uh, where did that perfectly _unfrozen_ lake come from? I _swear _it wasn't here just a minute ago."

Auron followed her gaze, sucking in his breath at what he saw. _I'll be damned,_ he thought. Out loud, he merely said, "It's magic."

At first, Rikku thought he was kidding. "Right, a magic lake, that just _appears _out of nowhere," she said dryly. "What's it do? Transport you to a land far, far away from here?"

"Go to it," he told her.

"What?"

"Go. To. It," he said, firmly this time, the look in his eyes leaving no room for argument.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Rikku crossed the distance to the lake. "Okay! I'm here!" she called back.

Auron followed her at a more leisurely pace. When he reached her side, he looked down at her. "Go ahead. Touch it."

Rikku gave him a look that clearly stated that she thought he'd gone quite mad. "It's just _water_. That appeared out of nowhere, but still, just water. And it's probably _cold_ as all get-out."

"Just do it," he told her, exasperated.

"Fine." Rikku knelt down and was surprised to find that the ground at the edge of the lake was not cold. On the contrary, it was warm, like the beach, or the desert. Slowly, she reached her hand into the water, which seemed to be shooting out light from all different directions, like a multi-faceted gemstone. As soon as her fingertips touched the water, she felt power and light course through her being.

Her eyes widened in amazement. "I feel it," she whispered. "The magic – it's like it's all _here_. In _this_ water." She pulled her fingers out of the water and just stared for what seemed like eternity.

"I had always thought it was just a myth, until this morning," Auron commented.

"What?" Rikku asked, reluctant to stand up.

"It's called the Lake of the Forgotten. It's the most pure source of magic in Spira. Only two people in every millennium ever see it. Seems that we are very lucky, Rikku."

Rikku looked up at Auron, completely bemused. "I don't really understand," she said in a quiet voice. "It's what?"

"The Lake of the Forgotten," Auron reiterated. "Basically, magic in its purest form. It appears only briefly, once every thousand years, before two people who have been deemed 'worthy.' And it never appears in the same place twice."

"So, we're worthy? Worthy of _what_, exactly? This doesn't make any sense. Why would it choose _us_ and not Yunie and Tidus? I mean, it would make more sense for a lake of such _amazing_ power or whatever to appear before the summoner, wouldn't it?" Rikku stood up then, hands on hips, and looked at the older guardian, her eyes demanding answers. "Wouldn't it?"

Auron looked at her thoughtfully. "You touched the water … you've been bestowed with a powerful gift from the gods. I don't know exactly what it is, because it is different for every person, but at some point in your life, you will find out."

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the lake disappeared, leaving only a small, perfectly round, prismatic blue stone in its stead. Auron knelt and picked it up. "Skystone," he said thoughtfully. He held it out to Rikku. "Stone of promise and renewal. This is yours. Part of your gift. Hold onto this. It will come in handy someday. Perhaps it is a blessing of your impending marriage?" He smiled slightly.

Rikku accepted the tiny pebble, and stuck it into one of the pouches that she wore around her waist. "You know about that?" she asked, as they walked back toward the inn.

"Wakka told Lulu and I last night. I would gather that congratulations are in order?"

Rikku smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." She took a deep breath. "Wow, I mean, it seems so strange to be talking about stuff like this, you know? I'm getting married. Someone actually _wants _to marry _me_."

"You act as if you are surprised," Auron said.

"Well, I _am_, a little. I'm an Al Bhed, and there's this complete and total Yevonite in there, who says _I'm_ the one thing he can't live without. I just hope – I hope that I don't disappoint him, you know?" Rikku said, a little sheepishly. She was still feeling a little woozy from the close contact with the magic. "I'm not perfect, not even close. You know that." She laughed when Auron smirked. "And I feel guilty, too."

"Guilty? About what?" Auron asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yunie," Rikku said quietly. "I have _no right_ being happy right now. Not when we are marching her off to her death, you know?"

"Rikku, listen to me," Auron said. They had reached the inn by now, but Auron stopped outside the door before going in. "Yuna is _not_ going to die. Nobody here is going to let that happen. I can't tell you how I know this, I just know it. You are all going to walk away from this, and there will be no more Sin. Do you believe me?"

Rikku looked up at him. If Sir Auron said it, it _had_ to be true, didn't it? It was a written law somewhere, she was sure. Sir Auron was many things, but a liar was not one of them. "I want to believe you. I don't see why you'd lie to us – to me. So yeah, I guess I believe you." She grinned, flashing her dimples at him. "But you better be right, or else …"

She blinked as she looked up at the guardian. He was looking at her with the strangest expression on his face. So intently, as if he was memorizing her face or something. "Just … be happy, Rikku," he finally said in a very low voice.

She found herself unable to look away. Finally, she shook her head, as if to snap out of the reverie she was in. It had to be the Lake of the Forgotten … the magic, it was messing with her mind. "Silly, Sir Auron. I'm _always_ happy!" she said, hoping her voice sounded normal. She turned to the inn. "Thank you for the lovely morning," she said with a tiny curtsy. "I won't be forgetting _this_ any time soon, that's for sure."

She quickly entered the building, leaving Sir Auron standing alone outside. Biting her lip, she blinked back unexpected tears. _What the hell was that?_ She wondered. _Oh, right. It was magic. Nothing more. Just … magic._

**Part Two**

"You actually saw the Lake of the Forgotten?" Yuna's eyes were wide with fascination when Rikku regaled her with the tale later that morning. "That's amazing. I mean, imagine. Wakka proposed to you last night, and this morning, you and he saw the mystical lake! Why, that's a blessing from above for your marriage! You know that when two people see the lake, it means that …"

"Yuna." Sir Auron's voice interrupted Yuna's excited stream of chatter.

Rikku looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. "What does it mean, Yunie?" she pressed her cousin to go on, curious now as to why Sir Auron would stop the story.

Yuna blinked, unaccustomed to being snapped at by Sir Auron. "I – I don't actually remember," she mumbled lamely. "There are lots of different legends. I don't understand why Sir Auron is snapping at me," she said in a quieter voice.

"Lady Yuna," Sir Auron said gravely. "Would you please come with me?"

Yuna's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no," she whispered. "I – I didn't

mean to make him mad!"

"It's okay, Yunie," Rikku said with a reassuring smile. "Sir Auron's bite is much worse than his bark." Seeing Yuna's shock, Rikku rethought her statement, and then giggled. "Oops, I mean, his _bark_ is much worse than his _bite_. Sorry, Yunie! That magic, it made me feel funny."

Yuna sighed and walked over to where Sir Auron stood. She _hated_ when she got on his bad side, which didn't happen very often, thankfully. "I'm sorry, Sir Auron," Yuna began apologizing immediately. "I don't understand, though, why you won't let me tell Rikku what seeing the Lake means."

"Rikku did not see the Lake with Wakka this morning, Yuna," Sir Auron said, rubbing a hand over his forehead as though he were tired.

"But that's impossible!" Yuna hissed. "The two who see the Lake, must have a bond of some sort. You know as well as I do, that the two who see the Lake are bound to each other from that point on."

"She received the Skystone," Auron told Yuna.

Yuna blinked. "The stone of promise and renewal? The _rebirth_ stone?"

"Precisely," Auron said.

"How do you know all this? It's as if you …" Yuna's hand flew to her mouth, the pieces finally falling into place. "Oh, Sir _Auron_. But … but what does this _mean_? I mean, why would she get the rebirth stone? Most people get the Firestones or the Oceanstones … you know, prosperity and good fortune or happiness and peace. I've never ever heard of anyone receiving a Skystone. They were said to be a myth."

Auron shrugged. "I don't know, but I can assure you that this stone was no myth."

"Rikku … does she know what the stone means?" Yuna asked.

"Only the promise and renewal part. I didn't mention the rebirth. It … it is better not to burden her with such worries now," Auron confessed.

Yuna nodded. "Rikku's been given the power of _life_ … actual _life _after being _sent_. That is an enormous responsibility." She paused. "But that is not what concerns me. She will know what to do when the time is right. It concerns me that you and she saw the Lake together. What does this mean for her future? With Wakka?"

Auron stared out the window of the inn for a long moment, and then turned to look back at Rikku. She was sitting with Wakka, and they were holding hands, looking very much in love.

Auron sighed deeply. "I honestly do not know, Yuna. I hoped to spare her any unnecessary heartache, but it seems that the gods have other plans for us."


	16. Chapter 15: Just Missed the Train

**Chapter Fifteen  
****Just Missed the Train**

**Part One**

Her happiness from that morning had morphed into some severe loathing by that afternoon. Yunie _knew_ something, something _important_, but Sir Auron wouldn't let her impart that knowledge on Rikku, and it _pissed_ Rikku off.

Rikku stomped along the mountain path, mumbling Al Bhed obscenities under her breath and shooting dagger glares at the red-cloaked man in front of her. She didn't like being lied to. There was more to the Lake of the Forgotten than _anyone_ was telling her, and she wanted to know _why_. It wasn't as if she was a child any more! Whatever it was, she could handle it.

Wakka noticed Rikku's agitation, and did his best to figure out what was bothering her. "Rikku, hey," he said gently about an hour or so into their trek. "What's buggin' you this morning, eh?"

Rikku looked up into Wakka's warm brown eyes, the eyes she adored, and forced herself to smile. Wakka hadn't done anything wrong, and he didn't deserve to have it taken out on him. "Nothing, Wakka," she said, shaking her head for emphasis. Seeing the disappointment on his face, Rikku's sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be cranky with you."

"You gonna tell me what's bothering you then?" Wakka asked, his eyes imploring hers, making him look so sweet and innocent that she caved.

"Well … have you heard of the Lake of the Forgotten?" she began, speaking in low tones so that the others wouldn't overhear her.

"Yeah … it's a myth," Wakka told her easily, spinning his blitzball. "Why? Did somethin' happen?"

Rikku shook her head. "Oh, no. It's just that, this morning, before anyone else got up, I was, uh, reading some of the books in the lobby, and one of them talked about this … mythical Lake thingy, but I didn't get to finish reading it. It looked pretty … intense, though, you know?" Rikku was a terrible liar, and she knew it. She only hoped that she had been convincing enough this time.

Wakka nodded. "It _is_. They say it only appears once every thousand years, ya? And only two people in all of Spira get to see it."

"Two worthy people, right, I … uh, _read_ that part. But, how do they know who's worthy? And worthy of _what_, exactly?" Rikku said, her brow furrowed.

Wakka laughed. "Sure got a lot of questions inside that head of yours," he said, kissing her forehead. "Especially about something that doesn't even _exist_, ya?"

Rikku sank against him, relishing the warmth his body radiated. Maybe she _was_ just being silly. But then again, she had _seen_ the Lake. She had _touched_ it and felt the power course through her body. "Wakka?" she said a little while later. "What … what do the legends say about touching the water?"

"Oh, geez, let me think, ya?" Wakka said, trying to remember the stories he had heard as a boy. "They say that only one of the people will be permitted to touch the water, ya? And that the person will be bestowed with some kind of heavenly gift, or somethin' like dat."

Rikku thought about what Sir Auron had said, that she had a gift now, but wouldn't know what it was until later. "Wow. That's crazy, right?" She giggled a little. "I mean, average people getting heavenly gifts. That's what they write fairy tales about."

"Sometimes fairy tales come true, ya?" Wakka said, pausing for a second and turning Rikku to look at him. "I mean, look at us."

Rikku smiled up at him, feeling that little flutter in her heart that radiated warmth throughout her body. "I guess you're right. We're really lucky, Wakka," she told him, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.

"_Again_, you two?" Tidus' voice called out from behind them. "Come _on_, we've got hiking to do."

Rikku shook her head and laughed at the blond blitzer. "Well, we were just waiting for you _slowpokes_ to catch up, right, Wakka?" she teased.

Yuna smiled her pretty smile and looked up at Tidus. "She has a point," she said softly. "We _were_ lagging a bit."

"So … we're supposed to make out while we wait for people to catch up? Is that the new rule?" Tidus asked as he and Yuna caught up to the others.

Rikku giggled. "Only _you_ would think of something like that, Tidus," she told him in a mock-stern voice. "C'mon, Sir Auron's _waaaay_ up ahead, and I'm sure he's getting irritated."

"He can make out with Kimahri till we get there," Tidus suggested, smirking evilly.

Rikku launched a snowball at him. "You know, I hope he heard you say that, Tidus. I can't _wait_ to see what kind of lecture you're gonna get." She smiled at Yuna. "He's in a lecturing mood today, you know?" She winked at her cousin, who laughed.

"Are you finished?" Lulu's voice came from behind them. She had been bringing up the rear of the group, lost in her own thoughts. She didn't mean to come off as irritated, it was just that there was so much on her mind, and she had a hard time fitting all of her thoughts inside her brain.

"Uh-oh," Wakka mumbled under his breath. "Sorry, Lu," he said to the mage.

Rikku looked down sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry, Lulu. We're going now." She looked at Wakka and made her "Oopsie" face.

"You know," Wakka said after the group had continued moving. "It would be something, to see that Lake, if it wasn't a myth, ya?"

"The Lake of the Forgotten?" Lulu, who was only a few feet away from them now, chimed in.

"Uh, yeah," Rikku said nervously. "I was … reading … about it this morning."

"I've read that it is spectacular," Lulu said dreamily. "The water is the bluest blue you've ever seen. And it sparkles, like a gemstone."

"Yeah," Rikku said, sighing, remembering the shimmering azure water vividly in her mind. "It … sounded _amazing_. I just … I'd never heard of it, you know? So I was curious."

"And if we were to see it together, well, it'd be a blessing, ya?" Wakka continued.

Rikku's eyes flashed, and she looked up at him. "A – a blessing?" she stuttered.

"Well, yes. Didn't you read that part, Rikku?" Lulu asked in a gentle voice. "The two people who see the Lake of the Forgotten are destined for one another."

Rikku stopped walking. "_What?_" she spat. Lulu and Wakka's faces showed twin expressions of shock at Rikku's outburst. "I'm sorry, I mean … _What?_ Destined for what, exactly?"

"For each other, for eternity, ya?" Wakka said, smiling at her.

"To be the love story that all other love stories are based upon for the next one thousand years," Lulu added, looking at the younger girl earnestly. "It's a terribly romantic notion."

"No, it's _not_!" Rikku cried out. "It's … it's not terribly romantic at all, Lulu! It's like … your _head_ being messed with, it's like, having no free will at all, you know?"

By this time, the other party members had stopped and turned around to see what the commotion was all about. "What the…?" Tidus began, looking thoroughly confused.

Rikku turned to Wakka, her eyes burning with green fire. "I love _you_, Wakka. I absolutely _adore _you, you know that, right?"

Wakka was completely confounded by Rikku's attitude. "'Course I do, Rikku, but I …"

"Good," Rikku said, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Good, then that's all that matters. You and I, we love each other, and we're going to get married and be happy forever, and that's _all_ that matters." She was in serious danger of becoming hysterical.

She pulled away from Wakka, and turned to her cousin. "Yunie, why didn't you say something? Why didn't you _say_ something?"

Yuna looked stricken. "Rikku … I … There was nothing to say. These things have a way … whether you want them to or not, they have a way."

"No." Rikku's voice was more forceful than it had ever been. "Not this time."

Yuna looked down. There was nothing she could say to Rikku now, nothing that could make her understand. "Perhaps you're right."

"Rikku, I don't really understand …" Wakka began, but was silenced by the look that his summoner gave him.

Rikku's fiery gaze now settled on Auron, and the dagger glare she had been giving him earlier was _nothing_ compared to the pure venom that shot out of her eyes now. "_You_. You _knew_. And you didn't say a _word_ to me about it!" She closed her eyes and forced herself not to cry. "All morning, I thought that I'd just seen this wonderful thing, that I was really _lucky_. I was so wrong. And I feel like an idiot."

"Rikku …" Auron said carefully.

She shook her head, and then laughed, almost maniacally. "I don't _believe_ in being destined. We make our own paths, and I've made mine. And _you_ are not a part of it. Not any more." She turned to Wakka, and stared at him for a long moment. "E muja _oui_," she told him. "Believe me, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Rikku … you _saw_ it?" Wakka asked, trying to wrap his head around what had just been exhibited.

Rikku nodded. "Yes, I saw it."

"With … Sir Auron?" Wakka continued.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. That's _so_ not important, Wakka." Rikku looked at him, pleading with her eyes.

"It's more important than you think," Wakka said, stepping away from her a bit.

"Are you serious, Wakka? Please … Just because I saw some _stupid _lake this morning? A lake that I didn't even know anything about?" Tears were falling from her eyes now, and she didn't care.

"The lake doesn't lie, Rikku," Lulu said in a soft voice.

"Shut _up_, Lulu!" Rikku snapped. "I don't care about the stupid lake, and I don't care what it's supposed to mean. I don't _feel _any different now than I did _before_ I saw the damned thing! I love _Wakka_. And I don't feel a _blessed_ thing for … _him_." She said, nodding her head in Sir Auron's direction.

"There is obviously something there, Rikku," Wakka said slowly, hating the sound of his voice with every syllable that he spoke. "Or else you two wouldn't have seen it."

Rikku sniffled. "No, there's not! Wakka, please, listen to me! You want to marry me … and I want to marry you, too. Why should what I've seen change all that?"

"It's already changed, ya?" Wakka said gently. "Don't you see dat?"

Rikku choked back a sob. "_NO_!"

"I'm sorry, Rikku," Wakka said.

"You're not even_ trying_!" Rikku cried out.

"You're right," Wakka said. "That's the other thing. I don't even feel the need."

Rikku gave pause. "I'm – I'm not even worth fighting for?"

"It's a futile fight, ya?" Wakka said lamely. His eyes belied what he was saying, and Rikku could see that he was hurting just as badly as she was. "I didn't see this comin' at all."

**Part Two**

The party found a cave large enough to fit all seven of them several hours later. "We rest here tonight," Sir Auron said.

Nobody said anything; they just entered the cave and set to work on the tasks of building a fire and preparing food.

Rikku sat alone in the corner, trying her best to avoid contact with any of them. If only she had kept her big, stupid mouth shut, none of this would have happened. But no, she just _had_ to go and ask all these dumb questions about the Lake, and find out more than she really wanted to know.

And now, she had lost _everything_. She looked at the others, watched them go about their routine, all in a vain attempt to pretend that everything was normal. Wakka sat between Tidus and Lulu, both of whom were trying their best to cheer him up.

Rikku sighed and watched him interact with Lulu. He had such an easy repertoire with her … they behaved like two people who had known each other for the better part of their lives. Sitting apart from the group, Rikku was able to notice things with renewed clarity.

Tidus and Yuna usually saw only each other, but Tidus was trying his damndest to cheer Wakka up at present. Kimahri kept constant watch over Yuna, while she put the finishing touches on dinner.

Lulu looked at Wakka with a fondness that Rikku had never noticed before. _I didn't want this. I wanted _himHer memories of Wakka were on a continuous loop in her brain, and they wouldn't go away. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes.

"Rikku." Yuna's quiet voice broke into her thoughts. She held a plate out to her distraught cousin. "You need to eat something."  
"I'm not hungry," Rikku said, pushing the plate away.

"Rikku, I know you don't understand now … none of us understand why these things happen. But it'll make sense soon."

_Poor Yunie_, Rikku thought bitterly. _Trying so hard … She doesn't realize that everything is just _broken_ now._ "No, it won't, you know?" Rikku said. "He was _it_, Yunie. He was _mine_. And I don't understand any of this. Why can't two people who are in love work through these stupid obstacles?"

"It's not up to us, Rikku," Yuna said softly. "Sometimes the obstacles are just _too big_." She looked sadly at Tidus while she spoke. "I don't like how things worked out for me, much, either, you know? It really … _sucks_ … when you meet someone who is supposed to be your forever, only to find out that Fate has other plans for you."

Rikku nodded. She got it, she did. "I wish I could just pretend this was all some big dream. I'd wake up, and all this would be over." She laughed dryly. "It'd be easier to handle if it was just a dream."

Yuna nodded. "I understand," she said. "I wish that, too, sometimes."

"So what do I do, Yunie? I mean, if Wakka's not it … and I don't want _anything _to do with the man who is _supposed _to be … where does that leave me?" Rikku brushed the tears off of her cheeks impatiently.

"Confused?" Yuna supplied. "Lost? Afraid?"

Rikku nodded. "All of the above." Sighing, she let her eyes scan the cave. They fell on Sir Auron, standing near the entrance, and she sighed. "I don't understand … I don't get it. If _he's _my destiny, shouldn't I _feel _it?"

Auron chose that moment to look back inside the cave, at her. Rikku looked away quickly, and turned her attention to Wakka, who was also looking at her. Rikku motioned for Wakka to follow her outside.

He did, and the two of them walked away from the cave, out of earshot of everyone. "Wakka …" she began. The sun was beginning to set, and the light was a rose-gold color that seemed to lend itself to this kind of talk.

"Rikku," he said at the same time. He nervously scratched the back of his neck, the move that Rikku had always found endearing.

Sighing, Rikku reached up and touched his face. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't want this." She bit back the tears. "I don't understand any of this."

Wakka put his hands on Rikku's shoulders and squeezed lightly. "Well, it's not like I won't still be around, if you need me, ya?"

Rikku smiled tenderly at him. "Oh, Wakka." The tears fell then. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," he said, pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry that I wasn't it for you, ya?"

"But you _are_," Rikku said.

Wakka shook his head. "I'm not. And it's okay. Hey, look at me." He tilted her face up with his fingertips. "I'm thankful for you. You taught me a lot. And, you know, I'll be waitin' for you."

Rikku smiled. "This is just one of those things," she said quietly. "Someday … maybe … we'll be back to each other?"

Wakka smiled sadly. "We can hope, ya?"

"So … I don't really know what to say now," Rikku said. "We're going to see each other every day. It'll be so hard. I do still love you, and I always will."

"I love you too," Wakka said. Smiling down at her, he leaned in to give her one last kiss.

His blessing, his curse, his beautiful might-have-been.

**A/N:** **Awww, sad stuff! Don't worry, the next chap is forthcoming, very soonly. There's still a loooooooot of stuff to come in this story ... Please bear with me on these twisty-turny roads. We're getting somewhere, I promise you that:) I love all my reviewers, btw! You guys are the best! Rhianna :)**


	17. Chapter 16: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**Chapter Sixteen  
Boulevard of Broken Dreams**

**Part One**

Rikku didn't sleep well that night, all things considered. She woke before anyone else the next morning, and quietly made her way outside so as not to disturb the others. She walked to the spot that she and Wakka had talked at the night before.

She felt lost, for the first time since she had joined Yunie's pilgrimage. She didn't know how she was supposed to act around Wakka any more, but even more frustrating than that was: _How the hell do you act around someone who is your destiny?_ She honestly hadn't ever given Sir Auron a second thought. He was just the Legendary, the ronin, the warrior. Was he even _worth _all of this heartache? She'd been forced to give up an amazing man, who was quite possibly the love of her life, for _him_.

_And she didn't know anything about him._ Wasn't even sure that she _wanted_ to, to be honest with you.

"Awake early again, I see."

The voice behind her made her jump. Sighing, she turned her head and regarded the man. "Hi," she said carefully, not really sure what she _should_ say. "Just … couldn't sleep, all things considered."

"Understandable," he said agreeably, walking to stand beside her.

"Nothing about this is understandable," Rikku retorted dryly. "Do you understand it?"

He didn't say anything.

_Great, he's a non-talker. I think the gods severely screwed up this one._ "So, you just don't talk, huh?"

"I speak when I have something to say. I am at a loss right now."

"Hmm," Rikku responded, staring out over the horizon, where the sun was just beginning to rise. "I don't even _know_ you. Are you worth all this?"

Auron snorted. "Hardly," he said derisively.

Rikku looked up at him out of the corner of her eye, and let out a small laugh that quickly became a fit of giggles. "Well," she finally managed to sputter. "That's always good to know." She covered her mouth as the laughs turned into tears.

"Rikku," Auron said, suddenly concerned. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged him off. "Don't. I can't, you know. I don't think I want to get close to anybody right now. Let alone you."

"I understand," Auron said, stepping away.

"Quit understanding!" Rikku yelled. "I'm tired of everyone being so damned accepting! What? So we saw some stupid lake together? Why does that mean that I have to lose _everything _I ever wanted?"

"I apologize," Auron said quietly. "I know that this is difficult."

"No, you really don't," Rikku said. "You didn't lose anything in this. It apparently doesn't matter that I don't want anything to do with you, and that I just want him _back_. Nobody cares about that, do they?" She took a deep breath. "Could you just go away, please? Just leave me alone."

"Do you even want to know why, Rikku?" he asked her.

"Know why what?" Rikku asked, taking a deep breath.

"You know that there is supposed to be some sort of bond here, right? Do you want to know where it came from?" Auron said cautiously.

"Another bombshell?" Rikku asked, looking him in the face for the first time since he'd joined her outside. "I – I don't think I can take it right now, Sir Auron. Just go away."

"As you wish," Auron said, bowing his head slightly and leaving her to her own thoughts.

**Part Two**

Rikku trailed behind the rest of them as they continued their climb. She felt as though they would _never_ reach Zanarkand at this point. The mountain was huge, and they'd only been going for a couple of days.

Kimahri walked alongside her, and though he didn't say anything, he really did feel bad for the girl. Losing people you loved was hard, even _he_ knew that. And it couldn't help that everyone was so wrapped up in their own problems to worry about anyone else's.

Yes, Wakka's plight was just as sad as Rikku's … still, Wakka seemed to be surrounded by people who wanted to help him get through this. It wasn't as if it was Rikku's _fault_. Any idiot could see that this wasn't how she wanted things to work out, either.

"Rikku will be okay," Kimahri said finally, just wanting to say _something._ "Rikku small, but strong, like Kimahri."

Rikku cracked a smile at the analogy. "You're right, Kimahri. We little ones, we need to stick together." She linked her arm with the Ronso's, grateful that somebody understood that _she_ was in pain too.

"Lulu sure didn't waste any time," she commented under her breath.

"Lulu finally realize what she had all along," Kimahri said slowly.

"Lucky Lulu," Rikku muttered. She wondered if there _would_ be something there, between Wakka and Lulu. It killed her that there was _nothing_ more that she could do about any of this. It was up to the gods now.

They walked several more hours, encountering _tons_ of mean-as-hell fiends before they came across another sphere, like the one they had found back in Macalania after fighting the Spherimorph.

"Yuna," Auron said. "This one is for you."

Yuna clicked the sphere on, and her features softened when she saw her father appear. Rikku watched in rapt attention. So that was Uncle Braska, huh? She could see that her cousin got many of her mannerisms from him.

Yuna quickly wiped away the few tears that had fallen as she watched and then stood. She smiled at the rest of the party members. "Let's continue. I feel … renewed strength all of a sudden."

"Wanna share some of that, Yunie?" Rikku asked, only half-joking.

Yuna looked at her cousin, saw how drawn her normally cheerful face looked, and immediately felt bad for ignoring her on this leg of the journey. She vowed to make it up to her when they reached camp for the night.

Rikku kept to herself the rest of the way to the next suitable cavern. Yuna walked over to her. "I'm sorry, Rikku," she said. "I shouldn't be ignoring you right now."

Rikku shook her head. Silly Yuna … about to die, and _still_ worried about Rikku's dissolving love life. "Yunie, you don't need to worry about me so much. I'm strong, like a Ronso, you know?" She smiled a bit, remembering her earlier "conversation" with Kimahri.

Yuna smiled back. "Rikku …"

"No!" Rikku held up her hand. "No more, Yunie. Go be with Tidus. You … don't have a lot of time left. Me, I'll be here for years."

Rikku watched Yuna walk off, toward Tidus. She watched them sit together and hold hands, much the same way she and Wakka used to do. Now, Wakka sat with Lulu, talked to Lulu, looked at Lulu with those warm brown eyes …

Shaking her head, Rikku decided that she needed to get away from everyone else for a while, so she started walking. She wasn't sure where she was walking to, but she thought she remembered a smaller cavern just a little farther back on the road. She could go there and clear out her mind. And not have to see _him_.

She came across the cave about fifteen minutes later. Sighing, she did what any savvy Al Bhed would do before entering a cave alone … she tossed a grenade in, and then ducked for cover while it exploded. "That should take care of any nasty beasties," she said to herself, entering the cave and setting her travel bag down.

She looked around for any kind of kindling, and found enough to make a small fire. She tossed one of the group's extra fire gems on the pile, and watched it ignite. Sighing, she sat down near the fire, and stared into it, letting the flickering flames mesmerize her.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

**Part Three**

He had watched her leave the camp, and part of him wanted to follow her, to make sure that she was okay. She'd been devastated, and who knew what she would do on her own? But she had made it clear that she didn't want _him_ anywhere near her right now.

He wondered if she ever would. Would the only person that he had ever loved in his _entire existence_ ever feel even a fraction of what he was feeling? Or was she too broken now to even care?

He stood around, watching the others for over an hour. Rikku still hadn't returned. He decided to throw caution to the wind, something he _never _did, and go after her.

He set out in the direction he had seen her go, and in under twenty minutes, saw the flickering of a fire inside one of the smaller caves the group had passed earlier that day. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the mouth of the cave.

Rikku was curled into a ball on the cave floor, near the fire, fast asleep. From the pale tracks down her face, he could reasonably deduct that she had cried herself into exhaustion. He crossed to her, and knelt beside her. He frowned when he noticed that she was shivering.

Without wasting any time, he quickly removed his heavy wool coat and draped it over her sleeping form. He quietly moved to the other side of the fire, where he could keep a close eye on the girl.

When she woke up, several hours later, she immediately noticed that she was warmer than she had been when she had fallen asleep. A strange scent filled her nostrils; it smelled like the forest, and sake, and was irrefutably _male_. She sat up, blinking and trying to adjust her eyes to the dim firelight of the cave.

It was then that she noticed the red wool coat that was draped over her form. Eyes questioning, she searched the cave for the owner, but found herself alone. Standing up, she wrapped the coat around her, not wanting to admit that it was cozy and warm and smelled heavenly to her … but not wanting to let it go either.

"Sir Auron?" she said into the darkness. "Are you here?" No answer. Rikku chewed on her bottom lip. _Well, at least _he_ cared enough to make sure I was warm and safe. That's something, isn't it?_

She stepped outside the cave and looked up at the night sky. The stars seemed more brilliant here, maybe because they were on a mountain … closer to them. The crunch of snow several yards away caused Rikku to turn her head.

"Hello?" she said. "Sir Auron?"

"You're awake," his voice responded. A few seconds later, he came into view before her. Standing without his coat, and not wearing his usual cowl and dark glasses, Rikku was afforded a better look at the man.

"Been here long?" she asked, still not sure exactly how she should behave. If this was written in the stars or whatever, it certainly didn't _feel _that way now.

"A few hours," Auron said. "Are you all right?"

Rikku looked away, blinking back tears yet again. "I'll live," she said, trying her best to sound upbeat and chipper, as per usual. "I've got more important things to worry about than my failed relationship … like Yunie, for example. I should be back there with her now, you know? Instead of throwing myself this pity party."

"Yuna's fine. If I didn't think she was in good hands, I wouldn't have left. It's _you_ I'm worried about," Auron said pointedly.

"Well, you don't need to worry about me. I'm young … I've got – plenty of time to bounce back from this, right?" The tears started falling now, tears that she couldn't have stopped, even if she had wanted to. "It's not the end of the world." She choked out a strangled sob, and collapsed onto the snowy ground.

"Rikku!" Auron cried, kneeling down beside her. Cautiously, he reached out to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Without thinking, Rikku threw herself into his arms, and allowed him to hold her while she sobbed her broken heart out.

Her sobs abated eventually, and she went still in his arms. He looked down, and saw that she had once again wasted all of her energy by crying. Under normal circumstances, he would have been annoyed. She needed to save her strength for her summoner.

But these were _not_ normal circumstances … these were _extraordinary _circumstances. "Braska," he whispered. "What should I do?"

_Be patient. Comfort the girl … She needs you now, more than ever. Just have faith._

Auron was at a loss. He wasn't used to comforting people. But he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms, saw her grief-stricken face, and he knew that there was _nothing _that he wouldn't do to protect her and shelter her.

And maybe, just maybe, while he was saving her, she might save him right back.

**A/N**:**Well, I'm super excited that I got TWO chaps out tonight ... This chap, unfortunately, was sort of transitory and not as exciting as some of the others, butI promise to make up for it in the very near future. I'm really pleased with the way this is going, and I hope you guys are too. I'm still loving you reviewers sooo much! Keep them coming! Until next chap, Rhianna :)**


	18. Chapter 17: Written in the Stars

**A/N:** **So, I know that some people were confused about what was going on with the last chap, and I apologize about that, I really do, but I have reasons to keep you lovely readers confused. :) It makes things MUCH more interesting later on, if you don't know what is going to happen! XD Anyway, this chap isn't very long, but it should HOPEFULLY clear up any questions left over from the last chap, for now. I have a looooong way to go yet on this story, and so many things that haven't even begun to happen yet. I really appreciate you guys who are sticking with my while I write this truly twisted, winding tale ... I love you guys immensely! Enjoy this tiny chap, and I'll have a new one out soon! R&R, as always! Luv, Rhianna :)**

**Chapter Seventeen  
Written in the Stars**

**Part One**

"He didn't even _try_, you know?" Rikku said quietly sometime later, once again staring into the dancing flames. "It was just … it was like it was _so easy_ for him. To just give up. And that's the part that doesn't make any sense at all."

Auron sat on the other side of the fire, facing the distraught girl. "You're right," he agreed. "It truly _doesn't _make sense."

"Some legend says that I'm destined for someone else … and he just _accepts _that? Didn't I _mean_ anything to him at all?" Rikku said, trying her damndest not to cry again. "I would've fought for _him_. I would've done _anything _to keep him. If he'd seen the stupid lake with Lulu, I wouldn't have walked away so easily."

Auron heard the determination in her voice, saw the glint in her eyes. "No, you wouldn't have," he said quietly. "But Rikku, Wakka is not as strong as you."

Rikku arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"I'm not talking about physical prowess," Auron explained. "I mean, strength of will. Wakka is a good man, I am not going to dispute that fact with you. But his whole life has been based upon the legends and myths that his society has taught him. So while you can sit here and talk about how you would have behaved differently, therein lies the problem. _You_ would do things differently, because you have been raised to believe in options, in free will. _Wakka_ has been raised to believe that if it is written, then it must be obeyed."

Rikku nodded, understanding. But even though she understood what Sir Auron was telling her, it didn't mean that she was ready to accept it. "No offense, Sir Auron, but I love _him_. I don't … I don't really feel anything for you at all. I just didn't ever think that it would come to this, you know?"

"Nobody ever wishes for things to turn out in such a manner," Auron replied. "And I am not here because I expect anything of you."

Rikku nodded. "Of course not! I mean, it's not as if _you_ feel anything towards _me_. That's why this whole thing is completely ridiculous, you know? It's like an arranged marriage or something." She smiled in spite of herself.

Auron laughed slightly to himself. "Right," was all he said. "Do you remember that day, on the airship, after your Home was destroyed? Do you remember what I said to you?"

Rikku thought back … she remembered many things about that day, but she was drawing a blank where the Legendary One was concerned. Smiling sadly, she shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, I … I don't."

She looked so genuinely apologetic that Auron was not offended. "I promised you something," he began, and a light shone in her eyes.

"Oh! You said that if I ever needed anyone to talk to, you promised to listen … without interrupting!" She smiled, proud that she had remembered. Shaking her head, she sighed. "I'm sorry … I don't know how I could have forgotten that. It was really _nice_ of you."

"Well, I believe you had other things on your mind that evening," Auron said languidly.

Rikku's eyes darted up to the older man's face. Seeing the faint twinkle of amusement in his eyes, she smiled a little. "Right," she said quietly.

They sat in companionable silence for several long moments before Rikku spoke again. "Sir Auron?" she began timidly.

"Yes, Rikku?" he replied.

"I shouldn't give up, should I?" she asked. "I mean, I should keep trying, right?"

"I believe that you should do whatever your heart tells you to do," Auron said in an uncharacteristic moment of gentleness.

"But … what about Lulu?" Rikku asked hesitantly. "They seem as if they've gotten so close since it all happened." She blinked. "Which is also rather strange."

Auron nodded. "I think that you shouldn't count yourself out of it yet. Lulu and Wakka are, plain and simply, very old friends. They are comfortable together because they have known each other their entire lives. I do not think there is, or ever will be, anything romantic between the two of them. Wakka was there for Lulu when Chappu died, and now, it is Lulu's turn to return the favor."

Rikku nodded, feeling much better. Everything Sir Auron said made _perfect_ sense. Wakka was not a cruel person, and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that he wouldn't do anything to deliberately _hurt_ her. She also knew that he was not so callous as to simply toss her aside and move on to the next available girl. She felt silly and a little guilty for even allowing such a notion to enter her mind.

As she drifted off to sleep that night, she made a vow to speak to Wakka as soon as the next opportunity presented itself.

Auron watched her as she fell asleep, and then rolled onto his back. _Braska! What the hell_ _are you doing? I wanted her happy … even if it _was _with someone else. Now, everyone is miserable. What is the purpose of this?_

He received no answer from his friend that night.

**Part Two**

"I don't understand," Wakka said to Tidus, back at the cave where the other party members were. "You would think that I would want to _do _something, ya? To fight for her or call the legend a liar."

Tidus nodded, his blue eyes serious as he considered his friend's plight. "Yeah … it _did_ seem a little strange, you know, Wakka. The way you just _accepted _it, as if it didn't matter."

Wakka blew out a frustrated breath. "Dat's just the thing, ya? A part of me was _screaming _to say something, _do _something, ya know? But another part of me just sat there … like I was watching it through someone else's eyes. And I _couldn't_ do anything."

Yuna, who had been sitting next to Tidus, looked at Wakka with concern. "But you _do_ love her," she said softly.

"'Course I do! More than anything in the world. And that's what's killin' me about this, ya? The fact that deep down, in my heart, I _always_ knew that it wasn't meant to last." Wakka hung his head, completely dejected. "Just waitin' for the other shoe to drop, I guess."

"But you were going to _marry_ her," Lulu interjected from her spot across the fire. She hated seeing him in so much pain. Wakka was supposed to be cheerful, and happy, and bright.

"Wishful thinkin', eh?" he said forlornly. "I knew it, even when I was askin' her, and she was sayin' yes … I knew that it would never happen."

"Don't say that, Wakka!" Yuna said forcefully. "You _don't_ know, and … and it isn't over yet! I just cannot accept the fact that two people who are as in love as you and Rikku are would fall apart this easily! She doesn't _love_ Sir Auron, and Sir Auron most certainly does _not_ love her."

Lulu's head rose at that, but she opted not to say anything. She honestly wanted Wakka to explore every option that was available to him. "Wakka, it isn't like you to just back down when you really want something," she said sensibly. "Why on _earth_ would you start now?"

"Maybe because I got an old-as-time legend to contend with, how 'bout that for starters?" Wakka said sadly. "Rikku and I, we're from two different worlds, ya? How could I have expected it to ever work out?"

"It's called faith," Yuna said vehemently. "You used to be so full of it. Don't you have any left?"

Wakka stared outside the mouth of the cave. "I gave it all to her," he muttered, hoping that no one saw the glint of the tears that had started to form in his eyes.

"So get it _back_," Lulu commanded. "So what if some legend says that she's destined for someone else? What we've all seen, with our own eyes, is that you and she are very much in love. How often do you think love like that comes around? Shouldn't you exhaust _everything_ you've got before you just give up? Honestly, Wakka, I thought more of you."

Suddenly, Wakka stood up and heaved his blitzball at the cave wall, opposite where he was sitting. "You guys don't understand!" he cried. "I got nothin' left! I love her, ya, but it's outta my hands now! I can't spend so much energy worryin' about it, when I've got a damn _job_ to do! I've got to get Yuna to Zanarkand, and deal with all dat first! Rikku and I …" He sighed heavily. "I'm just … _tired_. Nothin' that perfect is ever meant to last. If it works out, it works out. But I'm not going to force anything."

Tidus looked up at Wakka, confused. No, this was _definitely _not the Wakka that he knew. This Wakka was defeated, dejected, and without hope. It didn't take an idiot to see what was going on. Wakka was heartbroken, and he just … didn't have the energy to keep on fighting any more.

Tidus knew how it felt, because he had felt it too, when he had learned that Yuna was to sacrifice herself in Zanarkand. He hoped, for everyone's sake, that Wakka wouldn't stop fighting. One way or another, for good or for bad, a conclusion had to be reached before they got to Zanarkand.


End file.
